Justice Lords LIMITLESS Act 1: ReBirth
by Thoth.aKhronos
Summary: So we all know the famous "A Better World" story. But what happened after that? What happened to the Justice Lords? Please Read and Review. NOTE: This is a story set in the Justice Lord's world.
1. Chapter 1

**Justice Lords Limitless Act 1**

**ReBirth**

_Thoth akhronos: The Timeless Chronicler_

"…as of today, the totalitarian hold of the world the Justice Lords had is now over." Batman's imposing figure was broadcasted over every television set in every nation. "As I speak, my former teammates are being incarcerated as they do not share the same views I now have."

The screen cut to a moving scene that many only dreamed about: Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl and even Superman were all being led into armored prison transports one by one, angry and powerless.

The screen cut back to Batman, "My final motion to end the hold is this." He held up a cylindrical trigger and pressed the switch with his thumb. The screen them switched to space and the Watchtower exploded. Back to Batman. "Our reign as demi-gods has ended and I am sorry." The signal ended.

-5 Months Later-

She sat atop the roof of her house, staring at the stars, thinking. It was one of the few times that she had the time to think. Of course it wasn't one of the few times she was alone. In fact for the past 3 months, she had been getting more alone time than normal. But this was definitely one of the few times she was alone and her mind could wander.

Sometimes it was simply something as trivial as 'Do monkeys marry?' or 'Which really did come first? The chicken or the egg?' But this night was different, tonight she thought about the world.

As a graduating Senior of Gotham High she realized that very soon she would be thrust into the world with little more than an umbrella when what she really would need is a parachute.

"Kimber?" Her father's voice floated from the house below and into her ears. "Kimber, sweetie are you up here?"

"Yes. Yes, Papa." She called back quickly as she scooted from the roof to the back porch in one swift movement. "Welcome home, Papa." She said as she greeted him at the back door.

"Thank you, my daughter." Her father, Goren Lee, embraced her. " How was school?" He asked as the two walked into the house.

"Dismal and hopeless as ever." Kimber sighed. "How was work?"

"Pretty much the same, though there was a ray of hope today."

"Really? And that was?"

Goren smiled as he settled into his favorite armchair, "Remember that upstart gang?"

"The Jokerz?"

Goren nodded, "Yep, those lunatic followers of the former Joker. One of their mob bosses was just delivered to me courtesy of our city's recent guardian."

Kimber arched an eyebrow. "The Batman is back?" she asked with skepticism.

Her father chuckled, "Sadly, no. But she bears a striking resemblance to him."

"She?"

"Yes ma'am. Apparently there is some girl running around in long underwear trying to fill in the boots of the Dark Knight."

Kimber laughed, "Really? That's terrible! Sounds like a losing battle."

Goren shrugged, "To be honest, the GCPD will take what we can get. Oh, did I tell you? I made Police Chief today."

"That's awesome, Papa!" Kimber squealed, "Even more awesome when one remembers that you quit the force when the Justice Lord's took over."

"Yeah, apparently Batman remembers that little event."

"Remembers? I'm pretty sure that he would remember the only police officer to curse him out and them tell him he is doing the wrong thing."

"Yeah... Pretty sure he remembers knocking out a few of my teeth, too."

"Perhaps," added Kimber with a smirk.

"Anyway, as part of the deal to release the world, he ordered for me to be put up as the new police chief."

"Because you stood up to him?"

"Because I was the _only_ one who stood up to him." Goren corrected pointedly, "Though I do wish he'd come back out of wherever he hides. This city needs him now that the world isn't under martial law."

"You make it seem as if that other heroine can't control the crime in the city."

Goren cocked an eyebrow, "You sound offended, sweetie."

Kimber laughed, "Oh, please, Papa, why would I be offended by that?"

Goren smiled, "Only joking, Kimber. But it would be a miracle to have him operate in Gotham again... I have a feeling we are about to experience a storm of evil that was only known years ago."

A/N: I know; short chapter, but hey, I just wanted to set up the scene and such. The next chapter is where things pick up and more characters are introduced. Sorry if the ending was a bit cliche. Please Read and Review


	2. Chapter 2

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. That was the only sound he heard, alone in the cave.

That was the way it had been in his life for the past 5 months. Of course Bruce Wayne made many appearances during those months; hosting lavish parties and crashing the parties he wasn't invited to, but as anyone who knew him, who _really_ knew him, would know that "Bruce Wayne" was a facade. The most eligible bachelor in Gotham City was nothing more than the true mask of The Batman.

Slowly the powerful man stood from his meditation and walked over to a line of cases and looked at the suits that were in each one, each one bringing back memories. his original suit, his second suit, Dick Grayson's Robin outfit, Barbara Gordon's Batgirl outfit, Tim Drake's Robin suit, Nightwing's... He wondered where they all were now. Sort of. He had kept tabs on them after he had fired them those years ago when the Justice Lords took over. Dick had immediately discovered that hew as being watched and was somehow able to virtually disappear from the grid. Barbara chose to become a librarian at Gotham's public library, much to Batman's chagrin. And Tim? Tim went to live with his aunt and uncle. He would be starting high school in Bludhaven next year.

Batman moved on to the final case, a case that held the tired but honorable uniform of a long-time friend; Alfred. His most trusted friend, advisor, and ally had died one month before the Justice Lords were defeated. He died peacefully in his sleep and a small funeral was held for the man. Barbara, Tim, even Dick... they were all there for the first time, together, in two years. Not a word was spoken at the funeral, but the presence of all of them together to honor Alfred spoke volumes about the man's ability to draw them together.

Batman looked at his reflection in the glass of Alfred's case: soulless eyes, silver Bat emblem, a grey cape draped over his shoulders. Alfred did not support what the Justice Lords had done, but he cared for Batman's wounds even still. He never quit his job, he never complained, he just did his duty and still gave advice.

"I really could use some of that advice about now, old friend." Batman murmured to himself before walking back to the chair he had been in before and sitting down once again.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. That was the only sound he heard, alone in the cave.

* * *

><p>The final school bell rang and students from Gotham High rushed out of their respective classes in a frenzy. Kimber, in a rush, must have knocked down five or six people before she arrived at her locker. "Finally! Winter, break!"She opened her locker quickly throwing in her backpack and then slamming the door shut.<p>

"We-ell, you look excited." A senior boy leaned against the locker wall and faced Kimber. His name was on his letterman jacket and read "Mawk" in stylized letters. "Any plans for the first Saturday night of the break?"

"Yes." Kimber replied quickly. _The city is busy that night._

Mawk smirked, "How about you change them and come to my winter bash?"

Kimber laughed and replied, "Please, how am I supposed to change plans made months ago for a party in two days?" She started to walk away and the boy chased after her just as she expected.

"You're a smart girl," Mawk started, " Im sure you will figure it out. Besides, if you don't come, people will start asking questions."

"Like what? Whether we are getting back together for the fifth time or not?"

"Exactly!" Mawk exclaimed, "We need to show from now whether or not we are available for next year... and hopefully you go out with me again because I am not too keen on that one girl stalking me."

Kimber smiled, "Chelsea?"

"Yeah, that one. Ugh, she is always staring at me... Give's me the willies!" He shivered for emphasis.

Kimber laughed, "Fine, we will see if I go. But don't blame me if I am late!"

Mawk kissed her forehead, "Promise I wont."

"Good, now how about giving me a ride home?"

* * *

><p>His name was Curtis Reginald Orson Walker and he was panting heavily. He had been sleeping in his last class and had the unfortunate luck to have slept through the bell. As a result two students who sat near him and stolen his stuff; with one kid was his backpack, and the other had his laptop. He had just retrieved his backback and was now chasing the second kid. He needed the laptop back, it had sensitive information.<p>

During the Justice Lords reign, he had joined up with a small-time resistance. The organization was short-lived because it was soon cut down by Batman and the Green Lantern. Most of the members had been sent to prison and were not released until last May, but Curtis had gotten away.

"Hey!" he shouted after the kid, "Give it back!" _Why, oh why, didn't I delete that crap?_

"You gotta catch me first! Oof!" The kid was not looking where he was going and crashed into another student. Without apologizing or bothering to pick up Curtis' laptop, the kid rushed off to get away from Curtis.

_Thank goodness..._ Curtis thought as he approached his property and the fallen student. "Are you alright?" He picked up the laptop in one hand and helped the girl up with the other.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine," The girl brushed the dirt from her jeans and shirt. "That's your laptop?"

"Yeah, I fell asleep in the last class of the day." He smiled sheepishly.

The girl giggled, "That's never a good idea. My name is Kimber, by the way. Kimber Lee." She extended her hand in greeting.

Curtis reached out and gave it a small shake. "Kimberly?"

"No. Kimber. Lee" She punctuated the space, "Lee is my last name. My father is Japanese."

"Oh, Goren Lee?"

"Yep, the cop that got pounded in the face by Batman two and a half years ago," she sighed, "That's dad."

There was an awkward pause between the two; Kimber was waiting for Mawk to drive his car from the parking lot to the front of the school and Curtis wasn't about to leave the attractive brunette.

"So... what are you doing for break?" Curtis asked.

"Mawk's party probably," She replied without thinking. Then, still not thinking, she invited him.

"Oh, really? Sounds like fun, I suppose. Where will it be held?"

_Damn. _"Mawk's house, of course. This Saturday night... nine-ish." Just at that moment Mawk's car puled up. _Better late than never. _"I'll see you there, then?"

Curtis smiled and waved. He could tell that she was kicking herself internally for inviting him, but hey, a party's a party. "Sure will."

A/N: Alright so there is something I need to put out there. This story JUSTICE LORDS UNLIMITED is going to be more than one story. The reason for the gaps between the chapters even though they were both short is that I ended up reworking and extending the story. What does that mean? It means that instead of just one story, this is actually going to be in "Acts" and each "act" will be a submitted story. As of now there are three major acts to be written, this one is the First Act. Some acts will be long stories while others may be no more than 1-3 chapters, but this all depends on motivation and reviews/ So please read and review. kthxbai


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright, Mama, I'll see you later!" Kimber rushed out the back door, tossed a hefty trash bag in the waiting can, and slid into her sedan in one fluid movement. She started the engine and the car backed out of the drive way. She was excited, why wouldn't she be? It was nights like tonight that she lived for; the air was crisp and cool, there was a slight breeze, and the moon was nearly full but obscured by shadows. Tonight was perfect.

She parked her car in a 24-7 mall parking lot and exited her vehicle in a careful rush, making a bee-line for the nearest dark corner. Once there she quickly stripped off her street clothes and switched them with the clothes in a backpack. The tee-shirt and sweater she wore changed places with a black, padded long-sleeve and matching gloves. Her jeans came off and were replaced with a pants that mimicked a wetsuit. He sneakers were replaced with modified Converse boots. She fastened her utility belt around her waist and slung a long, dark and scalloped cape about her neck and shoulders. As she climbed up the mall's fire escape, she placed the helmet with makeshift bat ears upon her head.

Once on the top of the mall, she ran to the edge. There once was a time she would flinch at the end of a run like this. She would get scared and nauseated. She wondered about what would happen if she fell "over the edge" so to speak. The shame and ridicule her family would have to endure. The sadness. But she eventually got over those fears, she filed them away with other thoughts that didn't matter in the grander scheme of things, like a past boyfriend.

Upon reaching the edge of the mall, she jumped. This was the feeling she lived for; the lights blurring, the wind tugging on her cape as she easily floated through the air to the next building top. She hit the roof and, without breaking her stride, continued to run. Her ears picked up the sound of sirens just off to her left. They were getting closer to her position. Two buildings away her motorcycle was waiting for her.

On the final building, she jumped down, grabbed with one hand a drain pipe and slid the rest of the way down to the concrete feet away from her motorcycle. She had gotten to the bike faster than she had expected and the police were still a few streets away. Finally they passed and the radio in her helmet tuned in to their frequency. The rush? Armed robbery at a local apartment complex. Three robbers with reports of at least two hostages.

_Easy._

Tonight was perfect.

* * *

><p>"Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete. Aaaannnddd de-lete." Curtis let out a sigh of relief. Finally all the files had been wiped from his computer onto an external hard drive. He took the device into his father's workshop, the garage, and put it on a shelf. "As much as I hate to do this to this expensive piece of technology," he took a blow torch from his father's workbench, "it must be done." He pulled a face mask on and lit the torch, burning holes in the hard drive until it was a plastic and metal slag. He then picked up the slag with tongs and ran it through an industrial-strength band saw a few times until the device was not even recognizable.<p>

"Deleted." He said with victory on his lips. Throwing the remains in a trash compactor, he made his way out of the garage and into the house. His lonely house. His father was still at work and his mother wasn't around either, so with nothing to do, he turned on the television set.

Summer Gleason's pretty face was marked with a mixture of fear and anxiety. She spoke, "Behind me you can see this scene unfold; the armed robbers are apparently making their demands to the police. Demands that the police will no doubt reject. But until the SWAT Team arrives, the police have no choice but to stall for time."

Curtis sighed. Gotham was returning to the way it was. Gotham needs Batman; his city screams.

* * *

><p>Batman sat at the Bat-Computer, elbows on the control panel, fingers intertwined and his nose resting just on top of them. On the screen, the same scene played out. Yed, Gotham was screaming for a hero. But he wasn't the hero Gotham needed right now.<p>

As he watched the screen, a flicker of movement caught his eye. "Alfred." he broke the cave's silence, "Split screen input. Rewind broadcast thirty seconds and pause."

"Yes, Master Bruce." The cave's AI, named Alfred in memory of his past caretaker, quickly split the screen into two images and on the left screen rewound the broadcast the specified number of seconds and then paused.

There it was. Or rather, _she _was. A feminine figure in the top corner of the screen. Against the clear dark sky, the casual observer would have missed the female, but Batman was no the casual observer. Her costume was unmistakably theatrical and the resemblance to his previous costume was nothing short of uncanny. "Alfred," he spoke in a tenser tone. "Zoom and enhance image."

Within seconds the image was enlarged and the figure was enhanced. Batman's suspicions proved correct; the girl had modeled her costume after his own. Of course there were some differences in design and quality, but the overall effect was the same. Batman leaned back into his chair. "Alfred, loop the clip." The clip played from her appearance to her disappearance from the screen over and over and he studied it intently. "Sloppy landing. Her footwork needs work. I would be able to hear her through the roof before she would even get across to the second floor."

"So you are just going to let untrained children run around doing what you promised Mom and Dad you would do?" The voice was unmistakable. It was his own voice, but it was not from his own body.

Without missing a beat or even being startled, Batman replied to his dimensional double, "Surprised you could find your way back here."

The other Batman huffed and then replied, "If that is your excuse for a greeting, your social skills need more work."

"You know what I meant." Batman stood from his chair and turned to his double, "Besides, I am not worthy of defending this city against whatever comes up."

The other Batman left his spot in the shadows near the dimensional transporter and approached the Bat-computer. "Those hostiles wouldn't stand a chance against you. Within seconds, the entire building would be sweeped and they would be in police vehicles. Whether the public likes you anymore or not should not be of your concern. Your concern is to make certain that what happened to you as a cild will not happen to anyone else. Ever."

Batman turn away from the other. "That is impossible. There are tens of thousands of people in this city. Dozens of them are put in life-threatening conditions daily."

"It all adds up."

"Never does it add up to pay back what has been lost."

"It gives hope."

Batman paused. "Another man spoke of 'hope' to the people. But look at how dismal that turned out to be." He leaned forward onto a table top and grimaced. He knew what he as saying was wrong. He had become Batman to give hope to the people, to become something incorruptible. He became a symbol, a legend. But now because of one choice, he had run his reputation into the ground.

The other Batman threw a small cloth doll on the table. "This." he said with emphasis. "This is what it is about; the future, the people. You have power that not many are granted with: wealth, charm, intellect, youth, training. Sitting in this cave and sulking about having one bad day is a waste of those talents. A girl gave me this doll after I saved her father from a mob boss he owed money. She called me Gotham's guardian angel." His voice started to echo more and get farther. He was getting ready to leave. "Your Gotham is crying out to you, for you, so much that an inexperienced juvenile has taken it upon herself to put herself in harms way just to do what should be done. What you should be doing." The dimensional gateway powered up and a dull yellow light shined through the cave. "You once said that you are willing to put your life on the line to do what is necessary, but it has to be yours. No one elses." He started to step through the gateway. "I do hope the next time I come through here, things will be different." And he was gone.

Batman looked at the doll before him. The other Batman hadn't bothered to take it with him, probably left in on purpose. He would have if the rolls were reversed. Even so his feelings did not change. There was no weight lifting from his shoulders. The burden on his back was still there and he didn't know why.

He looked at his reflection in the table top surface. He was right about what he thought earlier; he wasn't the hero Gotham needed right now. He looked at the screen, the hostages were still in the building and there was no mention of the bat-clad feminine figure who had flashed in the corner. "I'm not the hero Gotham deserves, either."

* * *

><p>Five minutes ago she hit the rooftop of the apartment complex. Without breaking stride, she ran to the closest skylight and jumped int it. The resulting shatter and sprinkle of glass stunned the two gunmen and thanks to a quick foot in the face, one was out before she even touched the ground. The other reached for his gun and his fingers wrapped around the hand. However, he didn't have the chance to draw it; her fists came fast and furious to his gut. The man doubled over in pain and Kimber brought her knee up fiercely. Upon connection, the man's head snapped back up and he was out.<p>

To be safe, Kimber discharged the magazines from their guns and tossed them out one of the windows before moving to the last room.

That was five minutes ago.

At the moment she was dodging bullets. _This is not how I had planned for this to go. _She had safely rescued the two hostages before the final gunman found his buddies and checked on the hostages. She had planned for this. What she _hadn't _planned for was the semi-automatic sub machine gun he had on his person. _Escalation is a bitch, _she muttered as she dove behind another metal table. She had no ranged weapons except for the sharpened metal spikes, but she had yet to actually test them. "Might as well."

"C'mon out, sneaker!" The criminal shouted as eh started to reload his clip, "I know you are still here! Who are you, the Bat?"

_It is now or never..._ Kimber jumped up from behind her hiding spot, curled her arm into her body and then let the makeshift shurikens loose. One missed, but two hit their mark; one in his bare arm and the other embedded itself in his cheek.

The man screamed in anguish and made the mistake of the night: he dropped his now-lloaded gun to the ground, took his eyes off the shadowy figure, and dropped to the ground. A boot slammed heavily down on this spine pushing him forward and then rolling him over. The shadowy figure's helmeted face intruded on his personal space and a gravelly yet feminine voice met his ears: "I'm Batgirl."

Kimber reared her head back and smashed her head into his forehead, this rendered the final thug unconscious. "Now for some fun." She murmured as she tore up his jacket. She found a very long piece of rope and looped it around a steel beam near a window, then she tied the unconscious man's two arms to the two ends of the rope and tossed him out the window. To anyone outside, it was the crude representation of a bat. She did this every time she went out. Somehow she found a way to leave her mark, though this was the most dramatic.

Footsteps. The police had heard the gunshots and saw the man drop. Soon they would be in the room. Not a problem. She broke down another door and escaped through a second story window. _There it is._ She approached her bike and walked to the back of the building, speeding away just as police started to surround the building and barely missing the spotlight of the helicopter.

_Okay, not easy. But still a perfect night._

* * *

><p>Batman watched the man drop and saw the shape created when his body settled against the building. The steady heaving of his chest gave away his vitals. <em>He'll live.<em> He had a strange feeling of nostalgia watching the girl's performance. He had done something similar when he was just starting out.

"Perhaps I am no longer needed? That is a fresh start for Gotham. Recognizable enough to be friendly, but born from this new era." Batman shut the screen off and removed his face for the first time in two days, thus putting on the facade of Bruce Wayne.

As he continued to remove his second skin and put on the costume he wore by day, he contemplated what would become of him.

* * *

><p>Curtis wanted the applaud and jump. It had been like watching a movie; he had caught a flicker int he corner of the screen and, thanks to Disc Network, rewound the clip and saw the person on the roof. From there he ignored the reporter and even muted the television to focus on the background. He noticed the flashes of light from gun fire and even caught a second glimpse of the person jumping across the window area. The culmination of the report being the bat figure being dropped, like a batsignal, from the building showing, to every TV set tuned in to GNN, that Batman was back to stay and crime was about to have a real tough time.<p>

A/N: Yes? No? Happy about the frequent updates? I am. Happy with the way the story is going? Yes or no? :3 It really helps if you read and review. Constructive criticism only please. If you just hate the story for no logical reason, don't write anything, just put down things that could help or things that you liked. I hope the whole "Batman talks to Batman" conversation was not confusing. If you caught any allusions to Batman in pop culture or to any other superhero, feel free to post them in the comments! I'd love to see who gets the references (if anyone) :P Next Chapter coming soonish (I'm in college and a bio major... so yeah lol)


	4. Chapter 4

Batgirl watched from a safe distance as the police led the gunmen from the building. "Another successful run." She said with satisfaction. Turning away from the scene, she pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed her father's number. "Papa, you called?" She had missed he call from her father earlier, but could not answer due to lousy reception and bullets. "I'm fine... No, no... I'm at the park... Centennial Park...No, I'll be home before then..." in the distance over the phone she heard an dull roar. "Papa, I have to go..." She started to run towards the noise as she tried to end the phone conversation. "No, I just want to study, that's all..." Beneath her helmet, she rolled her eyes. he did this every time a criminal was apprehended; he would call her no matter what time or what she was doing and try to talk for as long as possible. _I've had just about enough of this conversation, _she thought as she climbed down the building's fire escape. "Dad... Dad! You're breaking up!" she stood at a marked spot and her service started to waver. "Alright, bye." And the conversation was over.

She looked at the crudely spraypainted yellow and black 'x' on the concrete and smiled. She had many of these spots around the city, spots where she could stand and her cell service would start to die. It was the best way to get out of sticky conversations. "Now to figure out what is going on." She took off to her motorcycle and then to the dull roar.

* * *

><p>"All units. All units. Reports of a mad man with a gun in Southern Square." Goren Lee's radio cackled in the car. There was a boom over the radio and the female's voice came back on; this time it was frantic, "Officer down! Officer down! Requesting to shoot first and ask questions later!" The officer didn't even wait for a response and the radio ended.<p>

"Hurry up," Goren told his partner.

Elden didn't need to be told twice. Heck, officer down? He didn't even need to be told at all to break the speed limit. he was in such a rush, he forgot to even switch on the sirens.

* * *

><p>Batgirl weaved in and out of the late-night traffic. She was glad that she didn't do patrols during the day, she was already illegally riding the motorcycle without a motorcycle license. She didn't need the added stress of heavy traffic. As she bobbed at weaved through the traffic, she approached a very familiar police cruiser.<p>

_Crap..._ she thought to herself as she came up along side the car. Looking to her right, she saw her father and his partner, Elden.

The two law enforcement men looked at her half with surprise and half with understanding that she was on her way to the same case.

Batgirl only gave one nod of acknowledgement before leaning forward on her bike and speeding past them. _That could have gone much worse._

* * *

><p>Goren Lee's car screeched to a halt and he was out before Elden even had the engine off. "What is the situation?" He called out over gunfire.<p>

An officer looked back at him momentarily, "What do you think, Chief? We have been pinned here for ten minutes and the fight is still going on. We have no idea how many men are really in there now, what their demands are, or even how much ammunition they have!" The man turned back, ducked behind his car, then popped up to fire of a few rounds before pausing. "What's more is that this guy is a nutcase!"

"Thought you said that you don't know how many men are in there."

"We don't, but we do know that they have one guy; a main guy. He calls himself 'Mr. Death' and parades around in biker gear designed with an anatomically correct skeleton. The first few victims thought, woah!" More gunfire poured out from the building and peppered the police car barricade outside the entrance. "Most victims thought he was a street performer." Finished the officer.

Elden approached on he hands and knees. "Is there any way to get in there?"

Goren peeked under the car's frame to get a better look at the building. "There should be a complex on the side of this building, right?"

The officer shrugged. "We are not sure. We've been pinned here since we arrived, remember?" There was a momentary break in the gunfire and the men and women of the law cautiously stood up. The officer gestured slightly, "You're right. To the left there is what seems to be an access gate. If we draw their fire, think you can get in there?"

"I called for SWAT," Elden announced, "But they wont be here for another half hour. Who knows how much damage can be done in that time."

"Not to mention what could happen when this lunatic sees the big guns rolling in..." Goren sighed before pulling Elden away, "We need to get in there. If anything we could be the eyes on the inside."

Elden scratched his prematurely balding scalp, "Makes sense... And me without my bulletproof vest." He added.

Goren nodded at the officer by the car to affirm the plan then turned back to Elden, "You're not the only one." He opened his jacket and revealed he, too, had a bare chest. Just the trench coat and a dress shirt. "Let's try not to get shot, eh?"

* * *

><p>Batgirl was two buildings behind the firefight. With one ear on the police scanner, she had heard the entire plan her father and Elden had arranged. "Gotta try and get there first..." Heart pounding, she ran as fast as she could, clearing the first building in one jump and grabbing the ledge of the second one after a slip up. <em>Can't mess up. Not with Dad's life on the line.<em> She stood and looked at the back of the buidling. Hard to believe this building was once a medical facility during the Justice Lords reign. Now it was nothing more than another condemned building. "With easy-to-break-into windows." She jumped and grabbed onto the ledge of a second story window with ease and in another swift motion, she was inside.

Once in, the bullet fire was more audible to the point that she had to switch off her radio to concentrate. From the left she saw two men, both with automatic weapons resting on their shoulders, shooting the breeze as somewhere else someone else was blasting away at the courtyard and street below.

_Two guys with assault rifles? Phooey. _She snuck behind one of the guys and quickly put him in a headlock. Before the second man could react, she pivoted around her prisoner and kicked the second man in the gut. _That bought me some time._ She brought her knee into the first man's chest and the brought her armored elbow in contact with the base of his neck. One down.

"The -cough- hell are you?" The second man recovered and raised his rifle to fire, but Batgirl was gone.

From above she watched he move under her. _I sure hope this works_. She dropped down onto the man; both knees going passed his head, her crotch at the base of his neck, and her stomach pressing against the top of his head. The impact made the man stumble forward, but not fall.

_Nope. Didn't work._ He was about to scream when she put a gloved hand over his mouth and twisted her hips to the side. He toppled.

Batgirl scrambled up before he could and finished him with a solid strike to the bridge of his nose. "Okay, he just needed encouragement." She continued.

* * *

><p>Goren and Elden cleared the first floor of goons before moving on the the second. "Someone has beaten us here." Goren kicked the unconscious form on the floor with little care.<p>

"Wonder who that would be?"

There was a thump the floor above them, "Probably whoever is upstairs?"

The two officers broke into a run for the stairs.

* * *

><p>"Where is your leader?" She growled at the semi-conscious man slumped against the wall.<p>

"I-I... ugh.."

"C'mon filth!" She back-handed his face with her thick plastic gauntlet. "Think, if you can!"

"Idun..ugh. Idunno..hesaiddeath...weeeee" His words were jumbled together and were incoherent.

_I'm getting nowhere_. She thought to herself. _What would Batman do?_ She looked around. She had thought for sure Mr. Death would be the man on the main gun, but instead he was nowhere to be found on the third floor. Instead there were just more goons.

"I...wantsomepoptartttsssssss.." The man was now unconscious.

_Or dead._ Then she noticed the rhythmic heaving of his chest. _Or he is just knocked out._

"Some party, huh?"

batgirl spun around quickly to find her father and Elden cautiously stepping over the bodies that littered the floor. Elden peeked out the window to see what the situation outside was like as Goren approached the young Batgirl. "Any idea where the main man is?" He was obviously nervous.

"No." She was nervous as well, she just hoped he couldn't tell through the layers of darkness and body armor. She moved away from Goren as if to leave. He didn't notice as he was still looking over her handiwork.

_All I gotta do is -_

"Wait!"

_Dammit! _Batgirl nodded for the man to speak.

"There are no traces of this guy? How hard can it be to trace a man dressed as a skeleton?"

Batgirl took offense to that. She was no World's Greatest Detective, but cut her some slack! She had only been doing this for a few months. "About as hard as it is to track a clown." She knew that would hit a nerve.

Her father's first high profile job was to track the Joker. For four months and sixteen days, the Clown Prince of Crime evaded incarceration. Until Batman showed up, of course.

"Hey! That was very different! Besides, shouldn't all you Bat-clan member be amazing detectives or somethi-LOOK OUT!" Goren's tone went from threatening to defensive is a split second.

Batgirl turn and braced just in time to be struck in the head with a thick object.

"You do-gooders!" Came a slightly high-pitched voice. "Always sticking your noses where they don't belong!"

And other strike to the face and Batgirl remembered why she chose to use a motorcycle helmet as a head covering instead of a cloth mask: She would be dead by now. The heroine stumbled back, stunned. With her right hand holding her head, her left hand waved out haphazardly in instinct... only to be struck again, this time behind her left shoulder.

She hissed in anger and pain._ That's going to leave a bruise. Have fun explaining that one._ She bit her lip and fought back tears._ Fight back, fight back! _She lifted her head in time to see the baseball bat that hit her coming down towards her.

_Frick. This._ Her right arm shot out and caught the bat mid-arc and pulled back. The assaulter was caught off-guard and lurched forward, all the opening she needed. She pulled herself in close so her right hip was alightned with his left hip and her right and was still clutching the bat with all her might. With her injured arm, she withdrew a taser and jabbed it into the man's neck. Pure electric energy coursed through his body and he stiffened like a corpse.

With a growl, Batgirl then put her right leg in front of the incapacitated man and then threw him forward. He hit the ground, still twitching from the experience.

"Are you alright?" Elden came up to the heroine, but she threw the bat to the side and instinctively backed away.

"I'm sure he will be more than happy to answer your questions." And then she was gone.

"One thing I remember about the Bat-clan: They never say good-bye."

* * *

><p><em>Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! <em>Kimber tucked her suit into a hidden cache in her car and then wheeled her bike back to the deserted garage that housed it. _How could I have been so stupid? _She plopped down behind the wheel of her car in the mall parking lot and just sat. She had looked at her shoulder as she was changing and a bruise was already forming. And it was a nasty one. "Chiz, that was bad. the night was so great until that moment... What happened?"

_You got sloppy._ Her mind reminded her.

"Gee, thanks. That was a rhetorical question though." She kicked herself as she started the car ride home. "Was it because Papa was there?" Perhaps. Maybe she wanted to prove her dual identity was not only here to stay, but would be of help. "Instead I made the mistake of not finishing the sweep and getting tunnel vision. Oh, and making an ass out of myself. Can't forget that."

She turned into her parents garage. Good, her father still wasn't home. "Not getting grounded tonight."

"Hello, Mama?"

"Kitchen, Kim. Back already?" Her mother's voice strained over the sound of running water.

"Yeah, I'm back." Kimber entered the kitchen and leaned against the fridge. "Late dinner?"

"Yep. Neither one of you were home, so I just took the night off I s'pose."

Kimber _hmm_ed and then gave her Mom a quick peck on the cheek. "Well, I'm beat. G'nite, Mama."

"Already? Kimber, it's winter break! Surely you aren't going to bed before one in the morning?" Her mother's tone held mock surprise.

Kimber didn't even reply, she just gave her mom a look and started off for her room. The real reason she wanted to sleep? He father would be home within an hour or two. She didn't feel like being awake with her bruise so apparent.

* * *

><p>Curtis stood from his chair, closed his computer, and lay on his bed. But he didn't drift off to sleep just yet. He let his mind wander. Earlier that day he had met Kimber. Gotham High was a strange place. Here he was a Senior in high school half way through the year... and he is just meeting her. Sure he had seen her from a distance, but that had always been it: distance. She wasn't rich, spoiled, or the president of any club, she was just an average teen.<p>

"With an above average body." he smiled as his mind played back the moment she sashayed away from him to Mawk's car. "Pretty cute, Kimber."

Everyone must have made that mistake at one time or another. Her name was pretty... odd. As if her parents wanted it to be a practical joke she could never live down. But Curtis knew her real name before she made it clear. He had yearbooks, everyone did, and had read her name numerous times. He just didn't want to seem like a stalker. After all, he father was now the Gotham City Police Chief. "With one hell of a job description. Keep this festering pit of death safe. Feh, good luck, Mr. Lee."

At least Batman was back. Or at least he hoped he was. The news never reported on the mysterious figure. He even searched some blogs and still found nothing about Batman's apparent return. "Suppose I am the only one who noticed..."

With his thoughts filled with a superhero and a beauty, Curtis drifted to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Six parties in one day. Four of which I was not invited to." Bruce Wayne mechanically sat down on the master bedroom bed. He hadn't been in this room in a long while. <em>Come to think of it... I don't think I even remember this room...<em> He knew he had been in here a few times before, but couldn't for the life of him recall when. Not that it was important. There was no way to access the Batcave from this room. Perhaps that is why he didn't remember it? Perhaps that is also why he was choosing to sleep in here tonight; so he wouldn't be tempted to try and go back down.

"I'm not Batman anymore, am I?" He looking in the mirror at the face that stared back at him and he almost didn't recognize himself. He had shaved the stubble from his chin and had combed his hair down. It was the neatest he had looked in weeks. "Meh, it isn't me. I can feel it. I can't be who I am anymore, but I have to be what I am not." _That made no sense, Wayne. Get ahold of yourself. Wait... Wayne? _He never called himself 'Bruce' or 'Wayne' when he was thinking. _Now I know I am going insane..._ He kicked off his shoes and socks, but made no effort to remove the rest of the expensive suit he wore. He turned on his side and drifted to sleep in the foreign bed. Tomorrow was going to be a unique day. He had an appointment with a certain group.

A/N: Yay a new chapter! Did you like it? I don't know unless you comment! So please comment :/ Read and Review.


	5. Chapter 5

Bruce Wayne emerged from his Maserati and entered the doors of the medical facility. With his trademark swagger and grin, no one could tell on the inside he was hurting and nervous. He leaned over the receptionists desk and eyed the worker behind it. She didn't notice him. _She doesn't look too bad. Or at least not as bad as she used to_, he said to himself. _Time to put on the ol' Wayne Charm, Bruce._

Without looking at him, the blonde receptionist said, "Is there something I could help you with, sir?"

"Yes. I am here for two reasons. First I would like to visit my patient. And second, I would love to have you accompany me for dinner tomorrow night."

The young girl looked up in shock, "Mr-Mr. Wayne!" She nearly knocked her computer over as she scrambled to get the file of Mr. Wayne's patient... and a pen and sticky note to scrawl he number on. "Here you are!" He voice suddenly perky and light, "And here," she handed him the sticky note, "is my number. Call me." She winked.

"I will, Harley." Bruce walked away from the desk and through the white double doors that separated the lobby from the rest of the hospital. _Another date with Harey Quinn. Hard to believe only a few years ago she wanted to kill me. _Then again, he wasn't Batman anymore.

He entered the recovery wing of the hospital and was directed by a staff member to the room his patient waited in. He took a deep breath, ran his fingers through his hair and stepped through the door.

* * *

><p>"One more day..." Kimber was up and about, but she was very groggy. Surprisingly she was looking forward to Mawk's party. A time when she would be up late but not because she was being shot at? Sounded like great fun to her. "Mama? Papa?"<p>

No response.

Then she remembered she was the only one off. Her mother was probably at work with a client and her father? Hell now that she thought about it, she wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't come home at all last night.

A note stuck to the fridge confirmed her hypothesis. "'Dearest Kimber, Your father didn't come home last night due to some interrogation. You seemed pretty bushed last night and this morning when I was leaving for work, you didn't even budge. I'll be gone for a few days. Going to Texas for a business meeting. See you on the weekend! Love ya!' Thanks, Mama." Kimber added the last part under her breath_. As if anyone could hear me_. She dropped the note in the trash and began to rummage through the fridge for food.

* * *

><p>"Hello?"<p>

"It's Mawk."

"Oh, hey." Curtis dropped his bookbag on the floor and sat next to it. "What's up?"

"I heard that Kimber invited you to my winter bash." The jock continued, "wasn't my idea, but whatev's. If you are gonna come, you gotta help set up, though."

Curtis shrugged. Mawk was a good kid. Could be a bit of a bully at times, but generally was a goofball who made fun of himself just as much as he teased other people. To be fair, he was still a bit surprised Mawk wasn't calling to force him to not go. "What do you want me to do?"

"You're a tech geek, right?"

_Gee, thanks._ ''Yeah, I s'pose..."

"Great. I need the strobe lights to match in sync with the music. I got Jerome over here working on his DJ skills, but not only to they need work-"

A voice in the background sounded offended, "Hey!"

"Shut up! Buuuut, he has no idea how to sync the lights."

"And you want me to be over when, now?"

"Tonight. Or this evening. Near sunset or something. Best time to test the effect in the dark."

"Okay, cool. I can do that." Curtis replied as he wrote down the appointment on his bulletin board.

"Terrif'." Mawk replied with his customary slang for 'terrific'. As defined by Mawk, 'terrif' is everything terrific is but with half the work. "Later days."

Click.

Curtis stared at the phone in his hand. "Tech... geek?"

* * *

><p>"Bruce." The woman opposite the room greeted her benefactor. "Come to visit little old me, again? What brings you back here so much?"<p>

"Diana." Bruce acknowledged the former superheroine curtly. "I'm proud of you. Full recovery. A full apology and remorse for your actions. How do you feel?"

Diana smiled, "Oh you know how I feel, rich boy. I feel free but I am still walled up in this place. There was a time when these walls wouldn't be able to hold me," She looked around her at the four walls that held her in with sadness. "But now, I'm..."

"Human?"

Diana nodded and looked at him. "I suppose you are used to being human by now?" she asked with a sly smile tickling her lips.

Bruce chuckled slightly, "I would hope so!"

"I do have to ask one thing."

"Shoot."

"So in this wonderful place you have set me in, they don't let us get much television. Is he back?" Her eyes looked deep into his.

_All this time and all the changes and she still cares about Batman? What are the odds?_ "No. He is not back. Nor do I think he will...come back."

"Oh.." Both their faces fell, but for different reasons. Then Diana continued, "After I get out of here next month... What will happen to me?"

"Hopefully," Bruce replied, "you will become an accepted and productive member of society. Get a job, a life. Maybe get married."

Diana forced a yawn. "Yawn-a-roony. What else is written on those note cards the doc gave you?"

* * *

><p>Goren looked through the one-way glass at his prisoner. The man was in chains and a yellow-orange prisoner jumpsuit. Even though there was no possible way for the criminal to see Goren, his eyes seemed to pierce through the glass and stab into Goren's eyes. "We've been at this for hours. He isn't breaking."He finally sighed. Moving away from the window, he leaned back on the wall and looked at the detective in charge of the interrogation of the prisoner, Stacey Ahms.<p>

"I don't know what to say, Goren." Stacey said, "All I could get out of him was that he wasn't Mr. Death. But that went without saying."

The door opened and a pudgy young man handed Stacey a manilla folder. She leafed through it with disappointment. "More good news; fingerprint report is here and there are no results."

"Hurrah."

The two sat in silence then jumped at a sound.

Tap tap tap.

They looked at the one-way glass.

"I can't see any of you," The prisoner said, "But I would like to make my one phone call now."

Goren looked at Stacey, "Why not?" He shrugged, "Tap the line and record both sides." He instructed. He moved for the door and took the prisoner from the holding chamber to a wall with phones. "Pick one."

"Einee, Meeny, Miney... MOE!" The odd man viciously grabbed the phone and dialed a number. "Hello? Heya, boss. Huh, huh." The man smiled and handed the receiver to Goren. "It's for you," he sang.

Cautiously, Goren answered the phone. "Hello?"

"So I hear you have one of my crew about to be locked up in your prison."

"Listen, Virgil, we will find you." Goren immediately shot back. "You might as well just give up without a fight. You don't want anymore deaths on your hands."

The man on the other line chortled, "Goren, you seem to have forgotten my stage name. Death is what I'm all about."

The way Mr. Death said that sentence sent shivers through Goren's spine.

"You'd better release my man, or someone close to you may pay the ultimate price."

Click.

Goren stood there with the phone still to his ear. His mind flashed through the names and faces of everyone dear to him that this mad man could have access to.

"Well, copper?" The prisoner broke the silence rudely, "What's it gonna be?"

Furious, Goren wheeled around and ordered the other man to a cell.

"Oh-hokay," Laughed the man as officers pushed him to detainment, "We'll see who has the last laugh! You just may want to warn your wife! Oh, and that brat of a daughter, too!" And then he was gone.

* * *

><p>"Well, I'd best get going." Bruce slapped his thighs before standing. "It was wonderful to see you again, Diana."<p>

"Likewise. A visit from the man who heard my plea is always welcome. Just can't wait to get out of this place."

They shared an embrace before Bruce stepped out the door.

"Hurry back, now! You may not be able to catch me after I'm released."

Bruce just smiled and closed the door. _Oh, Diana..._ As he walked past the receptionist's desk. He wondered why of all the Justice Lords she was the only other member to feel remorse. _Well, she will be starting a new life. Without Batman. That is what matters. Things change._ He had never admitted it, but for the short time they were on the team, he felt a connection with the Amazonian princess. She was alone in 'Man's World' and he was alone by choice. Sure the others could have been argued to be alone as well, but they were still titans and rather personable. Wonder Woman at that time was too naive to hold conversation and Batman... well that was self-explanitory.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, Mr. Wayne." Harley said as he exited. "You better not be late." She added with a wink.

Once again, Bruce just smiled.

* * *

><p>Kimber pulled her bicycle from the garage. With her father away home and her mother in another state, the house was quiet and boring. Feeling the need for some speed and adrenaline, she decided to take her bike out of retirement and go for a run around the block. Gotham was still not as dangerous as it was before the Justice Lords, during the day, crimes rarely happened. "And this is just what I need to relax; a brisk ride."<p>

She hopped on the bike seat and took off down the street. "Left or right? Left." She veered left and on to the sidewalk, weaving between people. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she did know that wherever she was heading would be a restful place.

* * *

><p>"Hey, uh, Curt?"<p>

"What's up, Mawk?"

Mawk gave a nervous laugh, "So Jerome kinda did something and a fuse blew. Mind comin' over earlier to fix it?"

_One time. One time I work for the school's maintenance team and suddenly I am some sort of mechanic._ "Sure." Curtis replied easy, "I can do that, I guess."

"Terrif', Broski. See you in ten."

Click.

Curtis shook his head and stepped out of the living room and headed for his closet. _More like twenty._

After taking some time showering and dressing, Curtis ran out of the house and pulled out of the car port, drove down the hill and was on his way to Mawk's house.

* * *

><p>Bruce was distracted. He wasn't sure by what, but there was a nagging feeling in his heart, as if something crawled into his thoracic cavity and died. At first he thought it had something to do with the alfredo he ate at one of the parties the day before, but then he recognized it as an emotion. What was it? Regret? Sadness? He couldn't put his finger on it.<p>

"Snap out of it, Bruce. If it is anything, it is probably separation anxiety." He took a swig from the water bottle in his car before making a right turn at a light. "You are so used to being Batman that now that you have killed that operation, you have to kill that personality in you." But he wasn't sure if he could do it.

He had become so enveloped in the identity of the Bat that he had referred to himself as 'Batman' mentally. Seeing himself outside of the suit made him feel like he was watching a movie. In first-person. "Get a grip, Wayne." His car passed by a newspaper boy holding a paper up. The headline read 'Authorities Still Unable to Find Mr. Death.'

_Only a few months and already things are going to hell._ The city seemed so quiet at night. But he of all people should know it never really was. As soon as the Justice Lords were gone, crimes everywhere started happening. There were even webpages wanting the Justice Lords back. There weren't very many of them, but they were there.

_But a supervillain with a gimmick and a name already? This is a sick to-. _He was unable to finish that thought as an unforeseen event began to play out.

In the corner of his eye was a bike rider zooming across the street, no pads, no helmet. Bruce did some quick math in his head and realized he was going to hit her no matter what, but slammed on the brakes anyway. There was a scream, a thump, and thud, and then a sick twisting of metal as his bulletproof Maserati ate the aluminum frame of the bicycle. The rider slammed onto the hood, crashed into the windshield, and then rolled over the roof and disappeared from Bruce's view.

"Dang." With that word, he nearly jumped out of his car to check on the rider before a crowd could gather. But he was in for a surprise.

The rider seemed not only unhurt, but she was crouched on top of the car roof in the same manner he would when he was on top of gargoyles: body low, both feet out to the side and close to the body, arms and fingers spread over the roof, knees and elbows bent, every muscle flexed.

"Are you alright?" He asked shaken.

The girl looked around from her perch then clumsily jumped from the top of the car to the floor._ A very faked clumsy jump. _Bruce noted.

"I'm fine. Probably sprained an ankle." Then she looked at him and _eep'_d. "You're Bruce Wayne!"

_Here comes another lawsuit... _Bruce groaned inwardly as a small crowd started to gather.

"You don't remember me? Kimber Lee?" The girl's face was a funny mixture of awe and, strangely, happiness, "Goren Lee's kid!"

_Oh, the cop I punched then promoted to-wait Batman did that, not me. The hell do she know me?_

"You gave-"

"Oh, right!" Bruce remembered now, "I gave your father the trucking job!" After Batman relieved Goren of duty, Bruce Wayne opened his heart and offered the former cop a job transporting sensitive prototypes to and from Wayne Enterprises. Of course, Goren didn't know that half of those shipments were for the Justice Lords. "How about I take you home?"

The girl's face scrunched up like a confused pup and then she seemed to remember that she was almost hit by her father's former employer. "Riiight." Then she pointed to the front of his car. "What about my bike?"

Bruce laughed, "I'll buy you a new one, Kimber." He looked around before getting on his hands and knees to retrieve what was left of the bike. The crowd had left by now. Obviously seeing the girl unhurt and easily conversing with the person who almost took her life in what could have been a bloody accident didn't hold their interest.

"Let me help ya out, Mr. Wayne." She also got down and helped the multi-billionare wrench the frame free of the car.

During the ride to Kimber's home, the two conversed easily about life, schoolwork, and politics. Bruce was very impressed at her grip on politics and the sciences. She was only a senior in high school, but she was already strongly opinionated. Her conversations never ducked below her maturity and actually were mostly above her maturity.

"Here's your stop, kid." The Maserati pulled up at Kimber's curb, of course garnering a few stares. "And sorry about your bike."

"You'd best buy me a new one." She joked back, "Or my father might be a wee bit angry."

Bruce laughed also, certain she wasn't going to tell her father about the incident. "Tomorrow. Promise." He watched her walk away. For the entire time she had been favoring her right side more than normal, and now that she was walking, he could see why. Her left shoulder was obviously injured from the way he torso swung and from the way her left hand hung at her side rather stiff. _Most likely a blunt object injury_.

A controlled roll over the car to disperse kinetic energy. The crouched ending position. Impressive knowledge of a vast number of subjects. Mature conversations for a senior. An injury most likely sustained by a brawl.

By time he arrived at home, Bruce was convinced that this girl was the Batgirl.

* * *

><p>Curtis arrived at Mawk's house ready to work. He wasn't, however, ready for the house itself. He knew Mawk's parents were loaded, but he had never actually seen any indication to the amount of their wealth. Even when Mawk drove to school, the car was an older model corvette with bad upholstery and in dire need of new rims. But Mawk's house... was big.<p>

"Damn..."

"Hey, Curt! What's up?" Mawk ushered the less-popular student inside. "Stick close, ya? This house may be one story, but I've lost people in here before."

"No kidding."

After a few turns and doors, they entered into a large room filled with balloons and with one entire wall lined with tables and food. "We were able to get the fuse replaced, but we still need the lights synced. I figured that instead of calling you and saying that we fixed the fuse, I'd just let you get your nerd crap over with sooner." Mawk smiled.

"...right. Where is the DJ table?"

"Over here, dude." another voice called.

Curtis turned and saw a Latino young man standing behind a table working on two computers. "This is the system."

Curtis eyed the table when he got closer. Two computers, three turntables, stereo system, the works. "Nifty."

Jerome just looked at him. "People still say that?"

"I do!" Curtis replied feeling offended.

"Whatever, dude. Work your magic." And Jerome left. Probably to go eat something.

Curtis crawled under the table and began to take note of each wire. Out of the corner of his eye, a movement. "Wha-?" He turned and looked. Out the window was a man in white overalls and a green cap peering through bushes. And then he was gone. Curtis was sure he had been there, but it happened so fast... maybe. "Forget it."

He continued to work.

* * *

><p>"Put an APB out for this Mr. Death and I want my wife alerted to the danger she could be in. Where's my coffee? I need a squad car down by the high school and the academy, now! Jane, my daughter! I need you to send an officer to my home. She is all alone there and I wont be home for another ten minutes. I want surveillance at my house twenty-four seven until this guy is caught. And where the bloody hell is that report?" Goren's mouth didn't seem to stop spewing orders. But who could blame him? The first supervillain in the new Gotham had just threatened his family.<p>

"Sir, the report is on its way, your wife has already been notified, and your coffee is in your left hand." Elden answered some of his partner's questions easily, with a hint of humor.

Goren just gave him a blank stare. "Funny, Elden. But what about my daughter?" Sip.

Jane turned around in her chair. "Six cars have been dispatched. Two to the academy, three to the high school and one to your residence. ETA is five minutes. on the one to your home."

"Good." he felt his forehead. Sweat was practically oozing from his skin and scalp. "I think I will be leaving soon." He grabbed his coat in a hurried fashion and started for the locker room.

"Goren!"

"Talk to me, Elden."

"Report came in. That number dialed was to a pay phone on Madison Avenue. We accessed the security cameras in that area but the person who answered the phone, once again was dressed up in the biker garb, helmet and all. No way to identify the target."

Goren didn't even respond as he switched his work clothes for his normals. He picked up his backpack and took his kevlar vest down from the locker but left his work pistol. He had a desert eagle at home. "See if you can identify where he left after the call or where he came from before. Triangulate that location and access those cameras. If he walked the entire way, I don't care. Find out where this man came from!" Then he stormed out.

Elden didn't miss a beat. Raising his hand with the report high in the air, he yelled, "You heard the man! Get to work!"

* * *

><p>"Papa!" Kimber hugged her father then pulled away. "What's wrong, Papa?"<p>

"What do you mean?" Goren asked absent-mindedly. He wasn't focused on her. He was focused outside, watching the streets.

"Either you really put on a few pounds in the office, or you forgot to take off your bulletproof vest again."

Goren looked at his daughter. "Sweetie, you could say that we are under house arrest."

"What?" She looked outside again and saw a police cruiser across the street. It had been parked there for the past twenty minutes. "What's going on?"

Goren sat his daughter down, away from the window, and explained the situation.

There was a moment of silence. "But... Mawk's party?"

"Sorry, honey, but until this is taken care of, we... I wont let you go." Goren braced himself for the teenage angst that was sure to explode.

But it never came. "I understand... Papa." Kimber flopped back onto the couch.

Goren was surprised. "You-you do?"

"Yeah. Oh, and 'you're not being fair, i hate you, you just don't me to have fun, and I wish I was never born.' Does that cover all the teenage cliches you were expecting?" She smiled through her disappointment.

"You forgot to threaten to sneak out of the house."

"Oh, Ha ha, so I did." Her face didn't show it, but she was upset. Not necessarily because she probably wouldn't be able to go to the party the next day, but because she had missed him._ I was a fool. I saw that biker outside the building but did nothing. If only I knew..._ But now she wouldn't get the chance any time soon to go toe-to-toe with Mr. Death and she regretted it. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"Chess?" Goren stood to get the board game.

"Why not?"

He father came back with two items; the board game, and his gun. "Ready?"

"Only if you promise not to use that as a power-up."

"A what?"

"It's a gamer thing... Nevermind, Papa."

The game began.

* * *

><p>Three shadowy figures watched from their perch in a neighbor's abandoned tree house.<p>

"We could go now!" whined one.

"Yeah we could, but I dunno if it would be the smartest thing." replied another.

"Getting this stupid mission over with sooner wouldn't be smart?" asked the first, "You are retarded, Rob."

"Would you two shut up? Besides you know what the boss said. No one moves in for the kill until he is here and he is ready." The Third smacked the back of both of their heads.

"You got issues, Steve." Rob groaned. He scratched his leg, right by his calf was a combat knife.

"Well, this is boring as bullshit." The first one _harrumph_ed in his seat and crossed his arms. "We could probably take them out right now without that copper seein' us. We may even get promotions for bein' so efficient."

"Gentlemen." A fourth voice elegantly floated among the branches. "The game is about to begin."

The first three men turned around and saw a man in biker garb with a skull painted over the helmet face standing in their midst.

"Get to your stations."

The men started to scramble to their posts and prep for the assault.

"Oh, and Edgar?"

The first man turned to his leader.

"Congratulations of the promotion." Edgar was then kicked from the treehouse.

Arms waved, feet flailed, but the fall was so sudden, so fast, his voice was lost. Is body lay, broken, at the base of the tree house.

A/N: Woo next chapter = Finished! That was a quick up date, huh? Why so fast? Inspiration, perspiration, free time, and motivation. The reviews mean a lot to me :P So please read and review. This is the longest chapter yet! This story is about finished and with it, Act 1 will soon be closing. That means after this is the longer and deeper Act 2. Sorry if there seems to be a lot of talking and not too much acting in this story and also sorry if Bruce seems OOC, but hey, this entire story is introducing the characters as defined by Justice Lords so... yeah. Things are about to start picking up to lead in to Act 2.

R&R plss


	6. Chapter 6

"PAPA!"

"Go! Run!" Boom.

Kimber ran.

"Surprise, girlie!"

Fist to the face. Knee to the groin. Run

"Where are you, little slut?" Boom.

Sharp pain in her side. Blackout.

-Five minutes before-

"Ha! Check and mate!" Kimber laughed gleefully in her father's face as he put on his best pouty face. Circumstances aside, staying in the house playing chess in the setting sun was pretty fun. It had been awhile since she and her father had played, but she hadn't grown rusty.

"I told you you should have tried out for the chess club."

"I would have, it if wasn't for one thing."

"What?"

"The name."

"Oh please," Goren shook his head, "It shouldn't even carry that bad of a connotation. It is all about strategy, wit, and creativity. It is like fighting a war!"

Kimber giggled, "Yeah, against pizza-faced, braces-wearing losers!"

"I was on the chess team in high school..." Her father said quietly.

"Oh... Well, I mean today is it for losers." She quickly tried to remedy the situation.

"Nice try, kiddo. But I ain't buyin' that. Partly because you were right." Goren flexed his muscles, "I wasn't always the strapping young man you see today."

"Oh please, Papa..." The phone interrupted her sentence. "Caller I.D. says it's 'Mama.'"

Her father nodded.

"Hello? Hi, Mama. Mmhmm, we're good. Sure." She handed the phone to her father, "She wants to talk to you."

"Hello, Sweetie. Yes, we are fine. How are things on your end?"

As Goren continued the phone conversation, Kimber snuck off to her room. Her suit was no where near the house, partly because her parents loved to snoope. But right now, she wished it was. She had no idea when the men were going to attack or even if the threat was a bluff, but she would have felt more comfortable with her suit on at least under her clothes. After all, some of it was bullet proof. "And some bulletproof is better than a halter top and sweat pants." she mumbled.

There was a crash and instantly she ran back to her father. "What was that?"

"I don't know." He primed his gun and hushed her.

* * *

><p>"Oops, mah bads." Steve chuckled as he crawled through the basement window.<p>

Behind him Rob rolled his eyes. "Pretty sure they heard that, Steve."

"Shut your mouth, Rob and lets at least try and stay quiet."

The third man climbed through the window and then adjusted his helmet. "Let's do this. Be quiet and efficient. Try to not get that police man outside involved."

The trio moved up the stairs; Rob on point, Steve carrying the rear, and the helmeted figure in the middle with his gun ready. They turned a swift corner and saw both targets in the dark. Neither one saw them.

"I see one." Rob whispered.

"Kill the girl first. It'll freak out the father."

Steve aimed his silencer at her head and pulled the trigger.

* * *

><p>"Ouch!" Kimber stubbed her toe on the edge of the couch and bent down to rub it. Just as she did, there was a whistle of air and a dull thunk in the wall. There was a time when she didn't know what that sound was, but after being on the street as Batgirl for so long, she knew a bullet when she heard one. "PAPA!"<p>

* * *

><p>"Aw shit." Steve fired again, but missed as the girl again ducked to the side.<p>

"Go! Run!" Goren shouted as he aimed and fired his Desert Eagle at the men.

Boom.

"Fu-spread out!" The bullet struck Rob in the left shoulder as he started to fire back.

The helmeted man disappeared and Steve ran after Kimber.

"Surprise, girlie!"

Kimber didn't waste time screaming again. Left fist to the face and her knee to his groin. After the short combo, she ran. He shoulder was pounding._ Ouch, damn it! Left arm is injured, Kimber! _The pain screamed in her head just to pound in the reminder.

"Where are you, little slut?" Steve was angry.

Kimber ducked around into a bathroom and felt safe but a moment. There was a sharp pain in her side and everything went black for a moment.

"Got 'er." the helmeted figure pulled the knife from Kimber's side and she collapsed to the floor.

Steve flashed a thumbs up weakly as his groin recovered. "Good job, Ace!"

Ace looked at the knife. There was little blood. "What the heck?" He looked down. The girl was gone. "WHERE DID SHE GO?"

* * *

><p>The fight with one of the intruders was over. Goren had been shot in the arm and the thigh, but the man had a slug right between his eyes. The police chief turned his attention outside at the squad car. The officer was just getting to the driveway, running as fast as he could.<p>

"Dad!" Kimber hissed. She was under the kitchen table clutching a meat cleaver.

"Oh, sweetie! Are you alright?" Goren winced as he leaned down to his daughter.

"Yeah, thanks for the hockey pads. They tried to stab me."

"Played dead?"

Kimber smiled and nodded through the tears. In reality she was still stabbed, but the pads had stopped most of the knife, drawing little blood. But she had still passed out from surprise.

"Where are you, little slut?" Snarled Steve again. "Well, hello Goren Lee!" Steve, passing the table where Kimber was hiding, kicked Goren's shot leg and aimed his gun at Goren's face. "I dunno where your little one has run off to, but this will be a delightful consolation pri-" Boom.

His words were cut short as the police officer from outside finally got in the house... just in time to shoot Steve in the eye.

Steve gurgled something about it not being over and then slumped down, dead.

Goren didn't bother to get up when the officer held his hand out. "There is still one ... more man... in my house." He panted.

The officer looked around for a moment and then ran off to try and find Ace.

"Pity he left you so soon, Mr. Lee." Ace put his face in Goren's. He had been hiding nearby just waiting for the police man to leave.

"You..."

"Sure. Me." The man in the helmet yanked Goren up and pointed his knife at Goren's throat. "I've lost two good men in your home. Now a third good man is about to die."

"Why are you doing this Virgil?"

"Virgil is gone. There is only Mr. Death now."

"I prefer Mr. Dead." Kimber jumped from under the table, the crash of the table and all the silverware rang through the house and startled the killer. This gave Kimber enough time to plunge the knife in the right shoulder of the killer. With a scream, he fell.

The officer appeared and pointed a gun at the fallen enemy.

"Don't shoot!" Goren commended just before the hyped up officer offed the unconscious man. "Get an ambulance down here STAT!"

The officer nodded and ran off to his radio to call in the medics.

"Papa!" Kimber ran up to her father and hugged him. They were both shaking.

She was glad the lights were off because she didn't want to see the blood or the bodies.

* * *

><p>Goren and his daughter watched as an ambulance took Mr. Death away for treatment and then incarceration. The other two men were wheeled away in open body bags as investigators did what they do best: investigating the scene. Even in the dark of night, all the lights allowed for a cleaner look at the two men who had died trying to kill Goren and Kimber. One was in a black turtleneck and swat pants and the other was in white overalls with black padding. On his head was a green cap speckled with blood.<p>

"Mr. Lee? Your ride awaits." The paramedic helped him onto a gurney and began to bandage him up.

"Kimber?"

"Yes, Papa?"

"'Mr. Dead?' Was that really the best you could come up with?"

The two shared a small laugh at the incident. Things like that were always funnier in retrospect. "Seemed to do what I wanted it to do. By the way... about Mawk's party...?"

Goren sighed, "Now that this is over, I don't see why not." He fist bumped his daughter and the was wheeled into a second ambulance.

"Raise your shirt for me, dear." Another paramedic said.

Kimber raised her shirt and got a good look at where she was stabbed. _It doesn't look that bad. Shouldn't leave a nasty scar... Probably just one of those cool ones._ She laughed to herself and tried to ignore the pain of the antiseptic the medic slabbed over her side.

"There." The medic then carefully wrapped a bandage around Kimber's stomach with extra gauss on her side to absorb whatever blood was left. "Just try not to be too active for awhile."

Kimber lowered her shirt. "How long is awhile?"

"Probably two weeks to a month." the medic replied at the drop of a hat.

"Eh!" _Poop... No way to help the city at all? For a month? _Then she reminded herself it could have been worse. "Thanks, I guess."

"No problem!"

And then they were gone. The lights, her father, the men. All gone. And Kimber was alone in the house, but she didn't feel safe, even with another police officer outside. They said he would be there 'just in case,' but Kimber didn't want there to be a 'just in case' situation. First chance she got, she snuck out of the house and went to her cache.

* * *

><p>"Alright. I'm done." Curtis popped up from his perch in the ceiling and dropped to the floor. "Testing... now." He wasn't sure who he was talking to. Jerome had left hours ago and Mawk was in another room blowing up more balloons. Curtis tapped the play button on Jerome's laptop and music blasted through the house. The lights started flashing in sync with the funky beat. "Noice."<p>

"Well I'll be damned. You did a great job, tech geek." Mawk looked around the room. "Sorry it took so long to get all the crap needed to set up the system. I guess I didn't think that part all the way through."

Curtis simply shrugged. " It's cool. It's only been..." He looked at his watch and then decided he'd rather not do the math. Either way, it was late.

Mawk plopped himself down on the couch and then turned on the television. "You can take off if ya want. From here on out, I got this." He said as he scrolled through the channels.

Curtis took that as a cue to really leave and started for the door.

"Aw shit..."

Curtis stopped.

"Dude... check this out."

Curtis came back and looked at the television. The news anchor was in front of the police station and was saying something about the 'capture of Mr. Death. adn an attempted murder.'

"Kimber..." Curtis whipped out his phone and sent a text to her. No response

* * *

><p>"...The Lee family declines comment and the police have denied any media from the Lee residence, but sources say that though both were injured in the fight, neither Police Chief Lee nor his daughter, eighteen year old Kimber Lee, were grievously hurt or killed. This truly is a happy ending to a murder spree. Back to you in the studio, Laverne."<p>

Batgirl watched the news segment end from her perch high above the police headquarters. She had a hard and slow time getting to the rooftops tonight, but for her it was understandable. She didn't want to aggravate her wound any more than she had to. Once on the rooftops, she made her way to police headquarters to see the news segment live. "Real glad they didn't make a media frenzy by my house... That would have been bad..."

He phone buzzed but she ignored it. If it was someone calling or texting to see if she was alright, they would understand if she didn't want to see or talk to anyone at the moment.

She turned away and lay on the roof, face to the stars. _So I didn't save the day as 'Batgirl,' but I still saved the day._ She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at her surroundings. _This is my city. It calls for me, and I will never tell it to leave a message. I will always be here to fight for it._

"Ow!" She grunted and fell back onto her back. _Okay, I'll heal first and _then_ I'll fight for this city._ She would be sleeping up here tonight...

* * *

><p>Bruce turned off the television. "I knew. it. She wouldn't be there. She couldn't. Her father wouldn't let her leave." He was sure of it now. That girl was the Batgirl. And that girl was in over her head. <em>I could help her. She doesn't have the funds, I could show her, reveal to her I was Batman. <em>"No!" He announced to his mind, himself, and the manor. "Don't even think about it.

But he couldn't help it. He was drawn to it, as if by instinct. "Why?" He looked at his reflection in the glass of the grandfather clock that guarded the entrance to the cave. He longed to go down there. That was the place his heart was locked up. He had to get down there. For himself. For Diana. For Kimber. For his city.

"10:47." The clock swung open. He started his decent along the stone stairs he walked many times before. "Diana..." His mind wandered again back to the Amazonian. She was the last Justice Lord to accept their role as Earth's leaders and the first to actually admit guilt. She didn't fight the system, she didn't fight back when she was captured. Well, when she was fully captured. She showed the most promise in rehabilitation. That was why she was in the correctional facility. Bruce Wayne was able to get her out of a heavier sentence and get her to seek psychiatric evaluation saying that because she was so naive to Earth's culture, her mind was easily warped and manipulated by Superman when he took control.

It work. And now, only months later, she was about to go free.

"I sure hope it was the right thing to do." _Who am I kidding. I could always read her like a college professor could read Cat in the Hat. She is really trying_. Bruce found himself at the bottom of the stairs, facing the Batcomputer. "I just couldn't stay away, could I?" He walked up to the armory and stared into the lenses of his cowl. "I would blame you, but... you are me."

He turned away from the bat mask and approached the cot he had always kept in the 'Cave. Stripping out of his day clothes and getting into some sweat pants, he lay on the mat. He would be sleeping down here tonight...

A/N: Two chapters in one day? Am I crazy? Am I insane? Nope... These were actually meant to be one chapter, but I decided to make them two, thinking it would flow better and make it easier on the reader. There are about 2 more chapters in this Act 1 and then things start to heat up and get more... batman-y :D Please Read and Review! If this inspiration, motivation, and free time kick keeps going... I may end up finishing this story by the end of the week, giving you Act 2 to look forward to!


	7. Chapter 7

Curtis arrived at Mawk's party early. The host had asked him to be early to double check the light system one final time before the rest of the guests arrived. So dressed in a suit, Curtis was outside of the one-story mansion about to get his grove on.

"Welcome back, dude, and thanks for comin' early." Mawk, half in sweats and half in a suit, invited Curtis inside. "You know what to do. I wont be but a minute. Jerome is already inside working on his mixes."

Curtis found his way to the party room, thanks to a bunch of arrows pointing out the direction, and saw that the room was pretty much how he left it. But with more balloons. "Why suits?" He tugged at the sleeves of his shirt.

"Mawk thinks it is cool to have fun in expensive clothes." Jerome replied, "But some of us aren't rich. Besides, it really curbs on clean up because the guests are more mindful of the food they are eating, what they are holding, and what they are doing."

"Oh."

"To be brutally honest, I hate it." Jerome said.

Curtis laughed before ducking down to check the wires for the sound system. "Everything seems to be in-order. Give it a jam."

"What?"

"Play music."

"Oh, comin' right up." Jerome started a popular dubstep and then flicked a switch by his computer. Instantly the lights synced with the music. "Can you imagine being on acid during this?" He shouted over the music.

Curtis just shook his head and held his ears.

* * *

><p>Kimber awoke to a start. It was morning and the sun was just rising. She checked her watch. <em>Or rather it is 6:30 in the evening and the sun is setting. <em>"Oops." She checked her phone. Five missed calls and three texts. One call was from her father, the rest were from friends. The texts, too, were from friends. However, one caught her eye. "Curtis... Crap! Mawk's party!"

Faster than she thought she could go with her injured side, she skedaddled home. "That cop is still out there... guess he never came in." She snuck back in the house undetected and looked around. Obviously her father hadn't been inside. The house was as the investigators left it: Kitchen and living room quarantined off for further study. It didn't matter to Kimber, she had a party to go to. After changing from her costume into a fine dress and packing her Batgirl suit into the trunk of her car, she was off to Mawk's party.

* * *

><p>High fives were flying around the police station. And for good reason. Mr. Death, the first super villain to terrorize Gotham, was in captivity and about to be interrogated. Goren looked around pleased. No harm was done to him or his family... much.<p>

"How's your leg, trooper?" Jane asked from her chair.

"I'll be fine," he replied, "The docs got both bullets out no problem and I should be on my feet in a little over one month. As for my arm, should be healed within this month."

"For you, that'll seem like eternity." Elden laughed.

"Yeah, but it was worth it. My daughter is safe and this maniac will soon be behind bars."

Two officers entered the workplace. "He's here." One announced.

"Sweet tiddlygums." Elden hopped off his desk and made his way to the interrogation room with Goren, in a wheelchair, not far behind.

* * *

><p>"Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome." With each guest Mawk's face seemed to tire, "Ah... finally the face I have been wanting to see." Mawk's face lit up as Kimber approached the entrance to the large house. "I definitely need to speak with you, cutie." He pulled her aside.<p>

"What?"

"First of all; how are you?" Mawk looked her in the eyes.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but that isn't what I meant."

"Well," She smiled shyly, "What did you mean?"

Mawk sighed, "I meant 'how are you doing since mad men tried to kill you?' Are you hurt or anything?"

"No." She lied._ Last thing I need is Mawk worrying about my side. After all, I changed the gauss this morning before I left_. She was getting better at taking care of herself. "Im fine, Mawk. The second thing?"

"Will you go out with me?"

Kimber had to laugh, "What? Oh please, why would I?"

Mawk gave her a look, "Really?"

"Well, this year we graduate... so I was thinking maybe we wouldn't have to keep fake-dating to avoid other people and actually branch out?"

"And what about for the rest of this school year?" Mawk asked skeptically.

"What about it?" Kimber laughed again, "Mawk, I doubt that that girl will try to do anything for the last half of this year."

Mawk shook his head, "Okay, if you say so... I still think that she's gonna try something when she sees we aren't together."

"If I didn't know better," Kimber started for the door, "I'd say you actually enjoyed 'dating' me." Then with a smile, she was in the house leaving Mawk outside to laugh and greet more guests.

* * *

><p>Curtis looked around at the people. Most were socializing, some dancing, but all were having fun. He wasn't. Heck, he was hanging out by the punch bowl. <em>At least the lights aren't flashing yet.<em> He thought to himself. He wasn't a fan of the strobe light effect he had installed, but hey, if it meant he got to stay, they he would endure.

But why did he want to stay? He wasn't having fun now. He didn't know most of the party-ers except for Mawk, Jerome, and a few others. Kimber wasn't even here to talk to and she would probably be with Mawk the whole time like norma- _Hold the phone!_ Kimber walked into the party room. Alone. _That's mah cue._ He took one last gulp from his party cup, popped in a stick of gum, then sauntered to her side. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself," She greeted back with a light hug. "Having fun?"

"I don't know yet," Curtis replied. They were silent a moment, both of the looking at the crowd, both realizing they really didn't know many people in the room. "So, how are you doing?"

"I'm good." She replied, this time facing him. "I wasn't hurt too bad, but they did stab my side." _Why am I telling him this?_ She looked at his face. It was an honest one.

"What?" Curtis tried his best to not exclaim his 'what' and surprisingly kept it low. "Where?" He eyed her body, but she looked fine.

Kimber could feel his eyes rove her body, but unlike most guys who stared, there was no perversion in his eye. _He is looking for the wound._ "On my side. Here," she pointed, "but I got patched up and I have gauss around it now."

"And you are still in a great dress?" He grinned nervously, "You're brave."

"Ha! You don't know the half of it; these heels actually hurt more than the stab wound!"

They shared a laugh.

"Would you like me to get you a drink, or something?"

Kimber smiled at the offer. "I'd like that very much."

* * *

><p>"Alright, Virgil Vesputh. What is your deal? Psychological trauma? Anti-social behavior? One bad day? What made you crack?" The man who sat before Goren and Elden stayed silent. "Cat got your tongue?"<p>

"I'm not Virgil. I said that already I'm-"

Elden sighed, "We know, we know; Mr. Death. You've said that before."

The man smiled a creepy 'I-know-something-you-don't-know' smile. It was unnerving.

"Look," Elden interjected, "We know you are Virgil. We have sent your prints down to forensics and when they come back a match, you better have answers for us."

"Or what?"

"Or God help you."

"I don't believe in God." The man sneered.

"Well better pick a faith soon, because where you are about to go, it will be all you will have left."

* * *

><p>Kimber and Curtis were having a great time and neither one of them could believe it. It felt as if they had been friends for years. "Wow... why haven't we talked before?"<p>

Curtis shrugged, "We just never did, I guess. Besides," he pointed to himself, "Chess club."

Kimber scrunched up her nose, "Funny, you don't have a pizza-face."

"Ha ha, What?"

Kimber grinned, "Its nothing, I was just talking to my papa yesterday before..."

"Oh, sorry..."

"Bah, it's okay. No one died! Well, no one nice did. But speaking of Papa... I'd better call him, you know... Just to check on him." She reached for her purse but her phone wasn't there. "Oh, crap." She kept searching, "I think I left it at home. What are the odds?"

Curtis chuckled, "I'd tell you, but then you'd think I'm a nerd."

"And I don't think you're a nerd now?" Kimber arched one eyebrow.

"Touche, Kimber." A slower song started and teens started pairing off. Curtis looked around then looked at Kimber, she wasn't returning his gaze. "May I have this dance?"

"Kimber smiled and shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

* * *

><p>It took a got half hour before the report came back and in that space of time, 'Mr. Death' didn't say one word.<p>

"Here you are, Chief."

"Thanks, David." Goren flicked open the file and skipped to the third page; the page with the results. The blood fled from his face.

Elden frowned at his senior's response. "What's wrong?"

"Negative..." breathed Goren. "That man is still out-" His phone rang.

"Aren't you going to answer it, Mr. Lee?" Their prisoner asked with a nasty smirk.

"Wipe that grin off your face and I will." He looked at the caller I.D. "Kimber? What's up?"

"Hello, Daddy."

Goren tensed up. "Mr. Death..."

"Finally you acknowledge me by my real name!" The crazed man on the other line sounded gleeful. He also sounded like he was walking. "Let me tell you something, Mr. Lee; I had given you a chance. Once chance. A chance to let your daughter survive. All you had to do was let my man go, but nope. You kept him, killed two more and then stole even another from me!" Even though he wasn't yelling, the intonation of his voice revealed he might as well have been.

"You stay away, you sicko." Goren breathed.

"Goren, what's going-"

"Anyone ever told you you talk too much, copper?" The decoy Mr. Death cut off Elden.

"Sicko? Really, Mr. Lee. I expected much more from you. Now, you are stuck in a wheel chair and your daughter? Well, lets just say that is a wonderful dress she has on, Mr. Lee. Compliments her form beautifully."

"You stay away from my daughter, you crazed maniac!" Goren screamed into the phone.

But Mr. Death was unphased. "I wonder if she is having any fun? How's about we find out, Mr. Lee?"

In the background Goren could hear a doorbell and then a door opening. "Hello, kiddo! I'm tonight's entertainment."

Over the phone Goren could make out what the kid replied, "Mawk didn't order any entertainment, sorry."

"Oh, but you don't understand." Mr. Death told the lad, "It's on the house." There was a muffled yelp and then a crack. "Did you hear that, Mr. Lee? He is not dead, but, oh, how the blood is seeping."

"No.."

"What's that, Mr. Lee? I can't hear you over the music. You will have to speak louder. Who is the next unfortunate soul to get between me and my quarry?"

Goren could only sit, helpless and paralyzed with fear and rage, as over the phone he heard cracks and muffled groans as Mr. Death made his way to his daughter.

"I'm one room away, Mr. Lee. If you are going to send anyone here, the time is now. I'm waiting."

Click.

"Goren! What happened?" Elden shouted

The prisoner guffawed at the situation.

"Quiet, you!" Elden silenced the man and then motioned for officers to take him away "Goren!"

"My daughter..."

"What?"

"My daughter! We have to save her!" Goren snapped back out of 'Daddy' mode and back into 'Work' mode. Without giving Elden a heads-up, he raced out of the interrogation room and into the office, barking orders and the address of Mawk's house to subordinates as he rolled. "I need every available unit down at that house pronto! Get medical down there, as well. This Mr. Death character has already created trouble at that residence and I don't want anyone dying there while any one of us are on duty!"

"Sir? Mr Death?"

"You heard me, Jane. We got the wrong man."

Squad cars and EMT vans rushed to Mawk's house sirens on full blast. In one squad car, Elden and Goren raced along side the convoy of law and order vehicles. _Tonight this ends. Even if we both die._

* * *

><p>Kimber and Curtis sat back in their chairs, resting. "Where did you learn to dance like that?" Curtis asked her.<p>

"My mama was a dance teacher before she met my papa. She told me that I would have to learn someday and so she taught me."

"Well, you sure can move."

Kimber smirked, "Was that a come-on?"

Curtis opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out except for, "Uhhhhhhhnnnnnn."

Kimber laughed, "I'm only kidding. Jeez." She lightly punched his arm. "You're so weird."

Mawk came near the two, "Hey, have either of you guys seen Steven?"

"Who?"

"That short kid with the green hair."

"I saw him, yeah," Kimber nodded toward the door. "I saw him step out not to long ago, why?"

"He has my phone and I kinda need it back. Thanks." Mawk started to walk away then stopped, "Oh, and Kimber?"

"Yeh?"

Mawk laughed through a half-smile then shook his head. Kimber just smiled back. Then Mawk started for the door.

"What was that about?"

Kimber just shook her head, "Nothing just-"

"Wait." Curtis interrupted her then cocked his head, "Do you hear sirens?"

"Wha?" Kimber listened. Sure enough over the music came sirens. Police sirens. Ambulance sirens. _Why?_

A few minutes later, Mawk stumbled through the doorway into the party room, a machete sticking out of his lower abdomen. He gurgled. He fell. People screamed.

A man in a ridiculous suit, a dress-suit with a full-body skeleton pattern on the front and a motor cycle helmet with a skull painted on it, jumped from behind the doorway and spread his arms out wide. "Ta-daaa!"

People screamed some more.

* * *

><p>As they approached the neighborhood, Goren could only imagine what was going on. And hear. With the window down, it wasn't too difficult to hear the screams of the teens at the house at the end of the block.<p>

"I hope we aren't too late."

* * *

><p>"Who the hell are you?" Jerome demanded.<p>

"I would tell you that I am tonight's entertainment, but I have already used that line. By the way, who is Mawk?"

"Yo-you're standing on him." One girl shakily replied, pointing at the teen beneath his feet.

Mr. Death looked down. "Hmm. Damn shame." He hopped off the body. "Don't worry, he will be just fine... As long as he gets to a doctor within the next two hours. But right now," The man bent over and grabbed hold of Mawk's legs, "He is cramping up the feng shui of the room." He dragged the unconscious teen to the side of the room then returned to black the only conventional exit. "Therrrrrreeee we go." He spoke as if he had just moved a mattress or a chair.

_I need to get out of here!_ Kimber thought, _If I could get to my car, Batgirl could take this weirdo murdering freak out!_

"Now before any of you kiddies get any ideas, let me show you a neat-o toy of mine." He reached into his jacket and pulled out two submachine guns. "This is Larry the MP5, this is Curly the _other_ MP5. And this," He reached too his back and withdrew a long knife, "is Moe. For when ya'll get outta line and I have to spank you. However, this can all be avoided and trouble can be averted if you just show me who Kimber Lee is."

The group gasped just like a cliche.

Then one girl stepped forward, "I'm Kimber Lee."

Rat-tat-tat. She was dead.

"And I already know what she looks like so no heros. Or did I forget to mention that? No matter."

_What does he want with me?_ Kimber looked at Curtis and could tell he was wondering the same thing. _No time to get away..._

Outside, the sirens were getting louder. "Alright," Mr. Death sighed, "Seeing as the audience is arriving and the maid of honor is getting cold feel, c'mere." He waved with the sub machine gun casually at Kimber, "C'mon, tell Santa what you want for Christmas."

Kimber didn't move.

"Good idea. Wait for the media. Excellent idea. I do need my message to be spread. In fact, I have planned for this as well." He took out a flip camera and Kimber's phone. Connecting the two with a wire and then balancing the camera on a table, he stood in front of the camera. "Hello? World? Is this thing on?" He motioned for a boy to come up to the camera. "Tell me, squirt, how do I know when this thing is on?"

The boy shook with fear and the pointed to a light. "Tha-tha-that ha-hass t-t-to be gre-gr-green-nn."

"Thanks, squirt." Mr. Death, still looking in the camera lens, then casually shot the boy's foot. "Take that home, it'll be a great souvenir."

The boy screamed and fell over onto his back writhing in pain at the old in his foot.

"Be quiet, please." Mr. Death kicked the boy into the hallway and then slammed the door against the boy's head, rendering him unconscious. "I tell ya," He returned to the camera, "I can jam radio signals and override television stations with a cell phone, but I can't even turn on a camera. Technology now-a-days, eh?" He turned his neck to the crowd of teens behind him and chuckled as if there was anything funny about the situation. "Turn on the TV, would ya?"

A brave teen cautiously approached the television and switched it on. They were on the television.

"Oh, look, it works!" The man removed his biker helmet to reveal a hansom face. It wasn't the face you would normal associate with mental disease or mass murder, but a calm face. A young face. He could have easily been a politician or a business man or an entrepreneur. But he wasn't. He was a murdering sociopath.

* * *

><p>Bruce woke up to an alarm. The Batcomputer had picked up dramatic activity on the radio waves and television channels. "Open up threat, Alfred."<p>

The 'Cave's AI opened a screen on the Batcomputer and instantly bad sound quality flooded the air. "Hello, people of Gotham City. And wherever else this is bradcasting. My name is Mr. Death."

By the end of that phrase, Bruce was already finished suiting up as Batman, then he snapped out of it. "I'm not Batman anymore. No point. She will go." He sat in the chair and watched the mad man continue to rant.

* * *

><p>"It has come to my attention that the governments around the world have decided that the best way to recover from the Justice Lords reign is to return to the failed system that sparked the Justice Lords to take over in the first place. I am a result of that system. Ta-daa!"<p>

The teens stood against the back wall as far away from the mad man as possible. Curtis held Kimber. She was shaking.

_I should have left once the sirens started_, She berated herself for being so foolish as to not notice the sirens had been getting closer. Out of the window she could see he father's worried face as he sat, helpless, in the wheelchair. It was a wonderful ploy Mr. Death had pulled off. _Why are the crazy ones always so smart?_

Curtis looked to Kimber and whispered in her ear, "Any idea why he wants you?"

The girl shook her head and whispered back, "He is the guy who wanted to kill me before. I thought he was captured... But I was wrong."

"Now then, you all know the wonderful and celebrated hero that is Police Chief Goren Lee? Well I am here on a mission to show that this system is so flawed it can't have heroes like him. I am here, c'mere Kimber, here to..." the man looked back at Kimber placidly, "I said COME HERE!" He growl-barked the last two words.

Kimber stood.

* * *

><p>"Now Kimber, here, is the beautiful daughter of the police chief. Say 'hi' to the people, Kimmi."<p>

Batman's stomach tied itself in a knot. That man was planning on killing her. He knew it. The Joker had done something many years earlier when he was first starting out.

"Still inert?"

Batman turned quickly. Again his dimensional double was behind him. "That is what you promised Mom and Dad, right? You would do your best to make certain nobody died on your watch again. Well I don't think they'd accept this, not at all."

"I don't need a lecture from you." Batman turned around again and faced the screen. Emotionless. "You have no idea what it is like to be me."

"I don't? Then please explain. Last time I checked, we were one and the same."

Batman stood forcibly. "This. This is different. I don't know how or why, but it is!"

"I don't know what you are talking about. This is the same. A man is about to kill a girl, a child. She is barely in her prime and you are just going to let her die."

There was silence in the cave.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here because I don't want you to give up your crusade. You should never have given up. Even in the heart of defeat at your own hands, you should have picked yourself up, just to dust yourself off and fight another day."

Batman looked back at the screen. "She's the Batgirl."

"Excuse me?"

"She is the Batgirl. From your previous visit. She is the one that was one the roof of the building."

The other Batman paused for a moment, "That makes it even worse."

"How so?"

"She looks up to you. If you aren't there in her final time of need, if she stops believing in you, since she has linked herself to you... she will stop believing in herself. Is that what you want for the future? A future that grew up in a world were every hero deserted them or turned against them?"

Batman gripped the edge of the chair viciously and looked back at the screen.

* * *

><p>Curtis watched as Kimber stood and the teens parted leaving an open trench to her. She walked forward. "No..."<p>

"Now this beautiful girl is going to die. She is going to die for her father, her city, and her country. She will forever be a martyr to my cause. 'What is my cause?' you ask? Silly human, a new government! This one is obviously flawed! So why not give some other idealist a shot? Why I was thinking-"

"No!"

Mr. Death wheeled around. "Who? What? When? Where? How? Why?" Then he saw Curtis blocking Kimber from view. "Oh, cute." he pointed the guns at Curtis, "Now run along back to the teen pen back there, this doesn't concern you."

"But it will. If what you want happens, it will concern me. And I am not letting you kill Kimber to futher whatever idiotic plan you have jumbled in your mind!"

"Hmm, sounds cliche. How about I pull this trigger and you go to a happy place?" The man smiled genuinely.

Curtis looked at the man under his brow, "How about you man up and fight me for her?"

Mr. Death lowered his weapons, "Oh, a challenge? I accept!" He turned to the camera, "Stay put, folks! It seems as though we will have two executions tonight! This shouldn't take long..."

* * *

><p>For the first time since the visit, Batman's double displayed emotion: anger. His fist smashed into a stalagmite sending shards everywhere. "You are just going to let him fight this crazed lunatic?"<p>

Batman remained still.

"That girl put her life on the line to do what you are supposed to do. She had the costume and some of the tools and probably even protection, but this kid? He is in a suit and tie going up against a mad man with two sub machine guns and a knife. Now even a civilian is doing what you were trained to do."

"I like to think I inspired him, them, to fight."

The alternate grimaced as the fight started. The kid was easily outmatched and kicked back against a wall. "You sicken me. There is no way you are the alternate of me."

"If this is bothering you so much, why don't you stop it?"

"No." The other Batman started to walk away from Batman, "This is your reality, your life, your city. If you choose to ignore it, as much as it irks me, it is not my issue. Mom and Dad would be so disappointed knowing you had the chance and the know-how to help someone and you chose not to help. Good luck living with yourself when this is all over. You'll need it." Then he was gone.

* * *

><p>Curtis rushed at the man a second time and slammed his shoulder into the man's chest, sending him sprawling on the floor. Curtis then followed up with kicks the to face and chest, only to be tripped and socked in the cheek.<p>

"I am so close!" Mr. Death shouted, "So close to my destiny of ruling the world justly that no one can stand in my way though they may try!" He whipped out his knife and swing for Curtis' abdomen. The teen was barely able to jump back in time.

"You are just another looney a few years late for Arkham!" He quipped back. _That was a good one. Yipes!_ He collapsed and rolled to the side as the knife passed harmlessly where he was standing moments before.

"No... they were insane. I am... educated." Mr. Death kicked out his foot, striking Curtis' face. "I have been planning," he kicked again, "watching," punched, "and waiting," another kick, "for a moment as this and now... it is here! And no one! Not some asian police chief, his daughter, or a black kid is going to stand in my way!" He lunged forward with the knife.

Curtis turn to be perpendicular to the attacker and succeeded in deflecting the knife from his face and chest, but still felt the knife rip into his suit and dig into his back. He howl in pain and then felt Mr. Death's knee slam into his stomach. He felt his lunch come up and out of his mouth... with another liquid that tasted like copper...

* * *

><p>Batman watched the fight alone in the 'Cave. The kid was doing much better than he had expected, in fact, was pretty sure this was the one who had gotten away when he had taken out the local Gotham Resistance during his takeover. But that didn't mean he was winning. In fact, he looked like he was going to die that night.<p>

"Why does he keep fighting Can't he see it is hopeless?" Hopelessness. That was the feeling. He didn't want to feel it, but that was it. Ever since the Justice Lords were beaten, he felt hopeless; deserted. His closest acquaintances were incarcerated, his Bat-clan was destroyed and gone, he was all that remained of the classic 'superhero' and he felt hopeless. He had come to rely too much on the other, but it wasn't just that. He felt it was hopeless to start over. He had had a glimpse of the power governments have to change the world but he used it brutally to force peace on the nations of the world. However, when he realized how unethical it was and the tables were back to normal, it felt futile to him to try and aide peace the more... ethical way.

"I think I have forgotten that it does all add up." He looked at the doll his double had left the time before. "But not fast enough."

* * *

><p>Curtis was slammed against the wall again, this time Mr. Death looked serious. "You see that girl you are defending?"<p>

Curtis managed a nod.

"She doesn't deserve it. She can't even defend herself!" Mr. Death spat.

But Curtis took one look at Kimber, she was frozen with terror, and spat back. Literally. Blood and saliva splatted across Mr. Death's face.

"Now that," he wiped the liquids from his face in a cartoony fashion, "was _very_ uncalled for! Time to teach you some manners, little boy." He put the knife to Curtis' neck but did not cut it. Instead he dragged the teen and, after a little bit more fighting, forced the dark-skinned teen to his knees and then raised his knife. "One!" His hands dropped fast, the knife, too.

But it wasn't fast enough.

A black whirr knocked the knife from Mr. Death's hands.

"What the heck?" Mr. Death looked at the floor where the knife lay. Next to it was a bat. He dropped his hold on the back of Curtis' ruined jacket, "Oh shi-!" He didn't get to finish his sentence. A black-gloved fist slammed into his face. Mr. Death's entire body was airborne for a good five feet.

Curtis looked up. There was Batman standing above him. No one saw how he got in the building with the lights on. No one saw whether he came through the ceiling or a window. But everyone applauded and 'wooo'ed.

Kimber ran to Curtis as the Bat approached Mr. Death.

"Die! Bat!" Mr. Death fired one of his sub machine guns at Batman's chest.

The Bat didn't even flinch. He threw another bat-a-rang, ridding Mr. Death of his weapon. A gloved fist wrapped around the criminal's neck and hoisted him into the air. Batman slammed him against the wall with one hand.

"I've taken on animals tougher than you, slimeball. You see that girl there?" Batman pointed to Kimber, not taking his soulless eyes off of the man at his mercy.

Mr. Death nodded, "Uh-huh."

"I personally requested her father be the Police Chief here because he would get the job done right." He slammed Mr. Death against the wall again.

"What are you gonna do to me?" stammered Mr. Death.

"Me? I'm not going to do anything to you. This time." Batman leaned to closer. "But if you _ever_ threaten Goren Lee or anyone in his family, I will be very angry. You wont like me when I'm angry." With that, he dropped Mr. Death to the floor and walked out. As soon as he was out the party room, the teens were in a frenzy. Some were pouncing on Mr. Death so he couldn't get up, other were breaking down the wondows and working on getting the injured outside to medical crews. But Kimber was gone.

In the commotion, she ran outside to try and catch up with the Bat. Outside among the trees she realized just how pointless it was to keep searching. Batman was reputable for being able to disappear and reappear at will. Hell, he had just basically materialized in a well lit room and no one noticed him. "Where are you?" She called into the darkness.

"Here."

"Ah!" She squeaked and turned quickly. Batman was standing right behind her. "Th-thank you."

Batman looked away, "Don't thank me."

"It is customary."

"But not necessary. I did what I had to do."

She couldn't help but asking, "Then why didn't you do it sooner?" As soon as those words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. _Now I'm going to get my face smashed in like Papa..._

But nothing happened. They both stood there, staring at each other.

_Just like her father._ Why wasn't he leaving? Why couldn't he leave? He was't sure what about this girl kept him there. Perhaps it was her strength in adversity. Through the entire ordeal, she didn't crack. She didn't shed one tear, she may have froze during her friend's fight, but not one tear. Or perhaps it was knowing that she was linked to him. She modeled her costume off him, they had the same agendas, saw the city from a different vantage point... Maybe it was because around her he felt there was someone who understood him.

"You have your costume?" It was more of a statement than a question. Of course she would have it. Why wouldn't she?

"My what?"

_Playing dumb. Not the smartest thing to do against me_. "Your costume. Batgirl."

Kimber's eyes shot open. "How did you know?"

"When someone dresses up like me and jumps off of rooftops, I make it my business to know who's behind the mask."

Kimber visibly shivered. "Ye-yeah...I have it. In my car."

Batman started walking away. "Come on." He ordered. Half to his surprise, Kimber followed.

"What's going on?"

"I owe you a bike."

A/N: Okay, so the writing bug bit me and obviously it is a long-term chiz, eh? So what did you think? Did the Batman v Batman talks seem Fruedian enough? Was the final reveal good enough? I hope there weren't too many cliches. ANd yes the Whole Mr. Death camera thing is a spawn from TDK, but hey, I think it worked to the effect. If you don't get the end or are wondering if Batman revealed his identity at the end to Kimber, the answer is 'yes.' He did because he feels alone. If he is acting a little OOC, good, that is what I was going for. He is going to be darker against criminals, but he needs a stablizer. Normally that is where Robin would come in, but because there is no Robin, Kimber will have to suffice :P One more chapter to go before this Act is finished and Act 2 Starts. Also in case you were unsure, Curtis is Jamaican American and Kimber is Asian American. Jerome is Latino American.

Also sometime during Act 2 I will set up a link to my Deviant Art page on my profile so you can see what some of the characters look like :D Please, please, please, read AND review. Means a lot and lets me know who is reading (if anyone) and thanks to those who have sent in reviews before. Helps with the motivation.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: The next Act has begun! Check my profile for Justice Lords LIMITLESS Act 2: EndWar**

It had been three weeks since the brutal attack and Kimber's life had changed. Whether it was for the better or for the worse was yet to be seen. As she exited Mawk's hospital room, she let loose a sight of relief. He would be alright. The knife that he had been stabbed with had not hit anything that couldn't be replaced with rest, nutrition, and time. He would be fine just in time for graduation. _But for the next three and a half months, he will be out of school_, She bit her lip disappointed that she hadn't been there for her friend in his time of need.

"You alright?" Curtis walked up to her, concerned. He, too, had been in the hospital room visiting Mawk. Most of the people who attended the party were there.

Kimber looked into Curtis' face, her eyes were red. Mawk hadn't been the only one she had failed. She had also failed Curtis. She invited the kid to Mawk's party just for him to get beaten by a maniac. "Ye-yeah," She stammered, "I'll be fine." With her hands she wiped her eyes and heaved a deep breath.  
>"I'm sorrry."<p>

"For what?" Curtis looked surprised.

Kimber looked into his eyes. His face was covered with cuts and bruises, she knew that his chest and back looked even worse. He had refused medical attention, insisting that he was fine. But Kimber knew the real reason. "I'm sorry for inviting you just to get your ass kicked," She replied half-jokingly.

Curtis chuckled, "If I do remember correctly, I scored a few hits." He fake-sparred the air beside him, "I'm not just your average ordinary guy, not a care in the world."

Kimber giggled.

"I'm a killer: a stone-cold killer." Curtis gave the air three last jabs and then an uppercut just for safe measure before turning back to Kimber. "See?"

"Alright, alright." Kimber had to agree; he wasn't dead so he must have done something right in that fight. "So... What are your plans for this last week of break?"

Curtis shrugged, "Sleep mostly. Dad says I need the rest, so who am I to argue with him, right?"

Kimber nodded and enveloped him in a hug.

Surprised, it took Curtis a few seconds before he reciprocated the act. "What's this for?" He whispered into her hair.

"For standing up for me... when no one else did." Her voice was quiet and vulnerable. She hated it, but she couldn't manage her strong voice anymore. Too much pain. Too much sadness and loss.

"Aw shucks," Curtis squeezed her tighter, "It was nothing, Kim. That's what friends are for, right? Defending other friends from mass murderers."

The two released and Curtis checked his watch, "Shoot, it's time to go." He said his good-bye's to Kimber then started to leave the hospital.

Kimber watched the boy leave and noticed his slight limp. He had denied medical attention so save money. His father had been released in May from prison for speaking out against the Justice Lords during their reign. He had been in for life. His mother had passed two months after his father was released. It had been a hard year for Curtis Walker and needless to say money was tight. _This would have been so different, _she thought, _if I hadn't froze._

At the door Curtis paused, turned for one last wave, and then left.

* * *

><p>Bruce Wayne sat in his Maserati alone. He hadn't bothered to hire a chauffeur because, honestly, who could replace Alfred? As he sat in his car outside the hospital he thought back to that night. He still wasn't so sure what possessed him to reveal his secret identity to the girl, but now he had to deal with it. He looked into the hospital again and when he realized she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, he drove off.<p>

One hour later, he was in full suit ready to do what he hadn't done in a very long time: patrol. He wasn't even sure if he was going to. The way he had attacked that night was so fast and so stealthy that the camera Mr. Death had set up didn't even capture him. There were only a few witnesses and some of them were getting so much counseling that most would probably repress the memory for years to come. He had also scanned many bars and popular criminal hang-outs. Most didn't think he came out anymore and even others thought that he had died after the Justice Lords disbanded. "Shows what they know."

He decided against using the Batmobile as transportation and instead opted for traveling on foot. He didn't want to draw attention to his return to the Nightlife. The more he surprised the scum in Gotham's underbelly, the better. "Alfred." He barked into the crisp night air, "Lockdown procedure 7-0-2."

"Right away, sir." The mansion above was being locked down. No one in or out except the Bat himself. Lasers and bars over every entrance and all fences magnetically sealed.

After he was satisfied with what had happened, Batman stepped out of the cave and into the dark.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Mawk." Kimber reached her hand out and took the boy's hand in hers. "I'm going to take off, okay?"<p>

Mawk weakly grinned, "Alright. you gonna visit tomorrow, right?"

"Of course!" Kimber was surprised he would ask such a question, "Why?"

"Just makin' sure, Kim." He laid his head back on his pillow.

Kimber bit her lip before speaking again, "Before I go... I want to tell you something."

"Shoot."

"These past few weeks have been a real eye-opener for me." She started off slow, "I have just come to realize how precious certain people are to me... and well..." She caught her breath and then proceeded, "Remember when we first went out?"

Mawk laughed, "Yeah, I do."

"And you eventually told me you asked me out to get away from another girl and not because you actually wanted to date me?" She smiled at the memory. At the time she had been crushed, but through it came a wonderful and lasting friendship. "We've done that fake-date setup more times than I care to count. But now, I realize just how much you mean to me." Her voice trailed off.

"What are you trying to say?" Mawk's voice was also quiet.

"I don't think I have anything left to say. Just something to do." She leaned down and kissed him.

* * *

><p>Gotham streets were not how he remembered them. There were not as many crimes and in the wake of Mr. Death's 'supernatural' encounter many criminals were too spooked to come out. "It will be at least another week before these mooks decide to show their faces." Batman growled into the night air. He was crouched between two gargoyles equally; just like the old days. It hadn't taken him long to get to the city from his cave, and even shorter to get to the apex of the Clocktower. What he hadn't counted on was a slow night. Police scanners were nearly empty and he had been on top of the tower for over an hour. Alternating his location, of course. Suddenly, a figure caught his keen eye. "Finally, some action."<p>

With all his pent up energy he leapt from his perch, spread his cape and glided to the roof the figure was standing on silently. It took him about five seconds to make this descent. Oh, how he had missed the feeling of the wind at his cheeks, the city rapidly approaching, the control over his fall, the adrenaline. Training in a cave barely rivaled the feelings of actually doing. He stalked up behind the figure. "You're out early."

Spooked, the figure turned suddenly with an 'eep,' but when she saw it was the Dark Knight, she put a hand over her chest and exhaled. "Shit..." Batgirl breathed, "Scared the crap outta me."

"Get used to it." Was all he replied.

Batgirl looked at her watch, "It's ten-fourty," she stated, "I'm normally out an hour after sunset. This is late for me."

"With those hours, you will work yourself to death," He moved to the edge of the building, cape still draped over his shoulders and body, and leaned for a better look at the ground level. "The most dangerous part of the night starts at thirty to midnight and doesn't end until four-thirty in the morning. The busiest time is the hour of two."

"So if this is early, why are you out?"

"Tonight's different." He squinted at her and she had to remind herself that looks can't kill.

_Or can they? _She asked herself as something did seem to die within her at that face. "I know the radio waves haven't been to gracious to us vigilantes, but I've been following this group for the past few blocks.." She pointed to some young people now huddled in an alleyway. "I'd say they are up to no good."

Batman turned his attention on them; his mind went to work as did the tech in his cowl._ Five men. Two women. Mid- to late-twenties. Two men armed. Crowbar. Pistol; most likely a cheap one. Both women armed. Two knives. One baseball bat._ He retrieved binoculars and peered at the group. _Clown-like face paint. Jokerz._ His scowl grew. How anyone could follow that madman even to the point of mimicking him was beyond Batman's mind. "Any idea who the target is?" he packed away his binoculars.

Batgirl shrugged, "Not a clue. So far there seems to be no rhyme or reason. They have just been walking. Stopped in that alley awhile, so I guess that is where they are waiting."

Batman shared the information he gathered from watching them with his unofficial partner. She was stunned.

"All that from just a look?"

"No." He stood at the edge of the building as the group below looked as if they were about to spring. "Get ready."

"Yeah, you can glide down and get started. I'll have to use the ladder or something."

At first Batman thought she was trying to get out of the fight, but when he turned she was already nearing said ladder. _Initiative. Good._ He nodded and she started her climb down. For the element of surprise, Batman fired his line launcher across the street and rode it to the building adjacent to the hoodlums. He saw Batgirl in the shadows of the building he had been at, obviously surprised he had already gotten to the top of the building quickly.

The group of Jokerz readied their weapons and sprang their trap on the next passer-by.

"Give us the dough and we'll letcha go!" Rhymed one member. He was carrying the crowbar.

"You don't want any trouble from us!" A second piped up. The teen with the pistol.

"Pl-please!" The man whimpered when he realized he was at the mercy of the seven teens, "I don't have anything! I am only a janitor for a school!"

"We-ell, you better hurry up and find something!" threatened the knife wielding girl, "We don't carry these pointy things just for effect, ya know."

The man whimpered again.

This was all he needed. Batman raised and then dropped his hand. From where she was, Batgirl sprinted across the street and delivered a powerful elbow strike to the neck of the first speaker. Before any of the Jokerz could respond, Batman descended, feet first, crashing into the gun-toting member. In a flash he had the gun in his hands and he pistol-whipped the closest Jokerz member and then discharged the gun's magazine, rendering the weapon useless. He then threw it to the side as added precaution.

Finally one Jokerz member spoke up, "Woah! It's the Bat!" was all she got to say before Batgirl rammed her shoulder into the girl's chest, knocking the wind from her.

Batgirl did a quick run-through of the events in her mind as she blocked a strike from an unarmed member. _The gunman is out and his gun is gone. The crowbar guy is down, for now._ Batman brought is armored knee into said thug's face. _Oh, never mind. He's down._ She blocked another punch and then threw one of her own, her gloved fist collided with his made-up face. _He's down. _

Batman vaulted over the head of another thug and palm-struck him in the back. He then finished the strike with a quick stop to the face. The man was unconscious.

"I'm gonna end you, Bats!" came a voice.

Batman expertly ducked down and a crowbar whizzed above his head. The girl with the knives had picked up a heavier object. Not one to be attached twice, Batman swiped her legs out from under her with his own leg and then slammed her face into the concrete. Ordinarily he would not have been as brutal to a female enemy, but tonight was different; tonight he was making his first stand, again, that he was back and crime wouldn't be tolerated.

As he stood, he felt a body crash into his side. The man who had been pistol-whipped was finally stable enough to attack. Or at least try. Batman barely budged and brought full upper-body force into the attackers neck. When the man let go to clutch his aching neck, Batman ended the fight with a swift knee to the face.

Meanwhile, Batgirl was squaring off against the final gang member. This member was obviously new to the thug-life as the had been frozen during the entire fight muttering "they told me they Bat wasn't real" over and over. Finally she got her wits about her and raised her bat to strike Batgirl.

"Time to find out who the real 'batgirl' is!" The girl hollered before charging and swinging the bat at Batgirl.

Batgirl groaned internally at the pun. She saw the bat coming and flashed back to the last time she came up against a bat-toting foe._ Not this time._ She easily caught the bat's horizontal motion, and pulled it towards her. Of course, the girl fell to Batgirl. Now with both of them holding the bat between them horizontally, Batgirl leaned in close to her enemy.

"I. Don't. Like. Baseball bats." She growled. Then she slammed her helmeted forehead into the girl's unprotected skull rendering her unconscious.

Batgirl let go of the bat and the girl fell back onto the pavement. She looked around and realized the poor janitor was still there, shocked.

Batman turned to him. "Don't _ever_ speak of this. To anyone." And then Batman was gone.

"You should call the police, though." Batgirl added, "You know. Before they wake up." She then ran further into the alley and disappeared.

In all the fight had seemed like eternity but when she was on the roof and looked at her watch, "It's only ten-fifty?" she exclaimed quietly. The last time she looked at her watch was ten minutes ago. That time minutes the time it took for her to get to the bottom of the building, wait for the signal and run across the street added out to...

"Two minutes." Batman breathed.

"Wow..." She was impressed. Never before had her fights ended so quickly.

"That was slow."

"The freak?" Batgirl looked at the man incredulously. "That was slow? It took only two minutes to end that struggle! What is normal to you?"

"By myself, they would have been taken down in less than a minute. Combination of gadgets then well-placed strikes would have finished them. With any one of my old partners it would have taken ten seconds. With all my partners full force; they would have run off before the fight started."

Batgirl was silent for a moment. "So what are you saying? I suck? Am I holding you back?"

"Yes." Batman's answer was blunt, but not without explanation. "You're talent is raw and unrefined. Powerful but not focused. The potential is there, but it is untapped."

"What are you suggesting?" Batgirl asked uneasily.

"Training. You need it."

Kimber had taken a few martial art classes and even reached black belt in a couple, but she knew better than to argue with the Bat. "When do we start?"

"We already started." He dropped a handheld T-shaped device at her feet then stalked off. "Follow me."

She picked it up and did as she was told.

He fired a line from his grapple gun and swung to a building three blocks away with east, the cord retracted as he began his landing.

"Darn..." Batgirl looked from the device in her hands to the building Batman was standing on. "Oh, wow." She fired the line to the same building Batman had fired his and jumped. _Holy shiiiiiiiiiiiiit! _She felt the blood rush to her face then her stomach and fought to keep from screaming. _Get it together, Kimber!_ Her arc so far was perfect and she didn't want to mess anything up, but it was a chore keeping herself from spinning around on the wire. As she neared the building she realized she had no idea how to land nor how to retract the wire. _Okay, calm down... just Caaallllm down._ Finally she found the right button and pressed it... and felt herself start to fall. As the roof drew closer and closer she sighed. _He's got some nifty cape obviously, or he can defy gravity. Either way, I'm pudding_. She closed her eyes and leander forward.

"Oof!" her own voice surprised her just as much as the impact did. She landed just behind her right shoulder and rolled four times before rolling to her feet. Tumbling classes had paid off. "Oh, thank God."

"It's a start." Batman offered no words of wisdom, no words of comfort. "Come on."

_No spare breath, eh?_ She followed.

Once again the Dark Knight fired his line and swung over more buildings with grace and once again Batgirl tried her best to mimic his moements. She knew she looked goofy. She knew she looked ridiculous_, But hey, even he must have had to start out where I'm at_.

After a few more buildings, she caught up to the Dark Knight and was beginning to match him nearly swing for swing. "So, where are we going?" She asked in mid arc of another swing."

His response nearly made her drop the one device keeping her in the air: "Home."

A/N: So, how was that chapter? Good? Yes? No? Well, this chapter ends Act 1! Yayz! So this story is finished. Next is Act 2. I am not certain what I will name it yet, but is will be very much longer than this Act for sure! More characters and more action, too! And that is the reason you read this, right? Keep in mind that even though it wasn't mentioned in this chapter, by this time it is the first week of January and Diana (Wonder Woman) has been released. How will this play out and where are the other Justice Lords? Keep reading to find out! ;) Oh and please read and REVIEW. I like seeing people adding this to their faves or alerts, but I would also love to see what you all think of the story and get feedback. That is how writers mature :P Also sometime soon I will be posting my Deviantart account on my Profile so you can see the characters as they appear in the story to get an idea of how they look!

Once again Read and Review, thanks :)


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